Daniel Kerr
Encyclopedia
Daniel Matthew Kerr is an Australian rules football
er.
Kerr was recruited from East Fremantle Football Club
and made his AFL
debut in 2001 with the West Coast Eagles
. He is a hard-running midfielder who is a vital part of the midfield at the Eagles.
descent. His father, Roger Kerr
, was born in Calcutta to an India
n mother and played for in the West Australian Football League
(WAFL). His sister Samantha Kerr
plays for the Australia national women's soccer team
, the Matildas, and for Perth Glory in the W-League
. Kerr is a second cousin of former Fremantle player Shaun McManus
.
. Kerr is widely known as one of the toughest players in the AFL. In August 2006, the much bigger Fraser Gehrig
considered one of the strongest players in the AFL, tried to palm off a tackle by Kerr, only to have Kerr resist and re-tackle Gehrig, with the result being the umpire rewarding Kerr with a "holding the ball
" decision. Similarly, his physical strength was further demonstrated in round one in the 2007 AFL season
against the Sydney Swans
when he successfully tackled and took down the far bigger Barry Hall
in the goalsquare. It is play like this, along with the ability to rip balls out of seemingly impossibly congested packs that have earned Kerr an enormous esteem with West Coast fans, and fans of the game in general. Some commentators of the game such as former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon
have agreed that Kerr is an underrated player and is of similar importance to West Coast as their better known superstars such as Chris Judd
and Ben Cousins
. However with Judd and Cousins having recently departed from the club he is now likely to be regarded as one of, if not the most important player for the team. He also took a spectacular mark against Collingwood in Round 13 of the 2006 AFL season at the Telstra Dome.
In 2003, Kerr won the AFL Goal of the Year and was runner up to team-mate Ben Cousins
in the AFL's most prestigious individual award the Brownlow Medal
in 2005.
In 2005 Kerr nearly provided one of the biggest upsets in Brownlow Medal
history, leading the count towards the later rounds and finishing second to favourite, fellow teammate Ben Cousins
. In the following year, he came third in the Brownlow Medal
count with 22 votes, however, was ineligible due to a striking charge against Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell
in Round 14.
However, Kerr claims that Brownlow night 2006 was something of an epiphany for him, and he realised the folly of his on-field indiscretions.
Kerr has recently been nicknamed "The People's Champion" as used by Chris Judd
in an interview with Dennis Cometti
on Perth's Channel Nine news on 2006-09-18. The nickname may have been adapted to Kerr due to his omission from the official 2006 AFL
All-Australian team, despite having another stellar season.
In 2006, Kerr was part of the Eagles' 2006 premiership side
. He played with broken bones in his foot.
In 2007, Kerr had another great year with the eagles. He came runner up in the Brownlow Medal
for a second time in his career, Jimmy Bartel
was the winner.
Daniel Kerr recently re-signed with the Eagles after weeks of speculation over his future in the 2009 season.
In round 10 of the 2009 season Kerr was suspended for 1 week for striking Carlton's Marc Murphy. After an appeal by the Eagles the decision was upheld by the AFL tribunal.
In round four, 2010 Kerr seriously injured his hamstring in the West Coast Eagles' win against Essendon
, ending his season. His absence was felt on the field as the Eagles would win only three more games for the season.
at a Perth nightclub during the club's end of season celebrations, in which Cousins punched Kerr in the face. Later the same night, Kerr pushed Cousins down a flight of stairs, breaking his arm.
In 2004 Kerr was charged with forging
a prescription
. He was given the blank prescription by a person at a party and went to a 24-hour chemist to buy 50 valium tablets. The court fined him a total of $400 and made a spent conviction order. He was also fined $5,000 by the club and was be required to complete community service throughout the football season.
In January 2007 Kerr and his father were charged with assault following a party in Perth. Kerr is understood to have been at a farewell party for his sister's friend in Attadale before trouble erupted shortly after midnight. Reports suggested that Kerr's sister complained about being touched inappropriately by another partygoer and a fight erupted soon after on the street. An 18-year-old man suffered a broken nose and broken tooth and was taken to Fremantle Hospital
by a friend for treatment. Kerr was charged with two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm. He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm and was fined $2000 over the attack. His father was also fined after being found guilty of assault.
On 25 February 2007 Kerr was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after an altercation with a taxi
driver. Kerr was later arrested again while at a training session, and further charged with assault
occasioning bodily harm and wilful damage. Police prosecutor Gary Flynn told the court Kerr saw the taxi and jumped screaming and shouting onto the boot. The taxi driver got out of his car and was attacked by Kerr, Sgt Flynn said. Kerr's lawyer John Prior said his client had gone out to dinner and "consumed too much alcohol" and "made a crucial bad judgement call". Kerr pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined.
On 23 March 2007 information was released that implicated Kerr in drug dealing over the phone. Kerr's conversations with convicted drug dealer Shane Waters relating to a "big bag of horse chaff" were recorded by police phone taps in 2003.
On 3 April 2010 Kerr was ordered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal to pay $13,125 to teenager Troy Luies, after Luies had filed a claim for the injuries he suffered at the hands of Kerr on 14 January 2007. Assessor William Millar awarded Mr Luies compensation for the assault by Kerr, as payment for his hospital bills, lost pay and for trauma suffered.
teammate Quinten Lynch
, Daniel Kerr also attended Aquinas College
in Perth
.
In April 2011, Kerr launched his own website. On the 22nd of June 2011, Daniel and wife Natasha welcomed daughter Lola Violet Kerr.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er.
Kerr was recruited from East Fremantle Football Club
East Fremantle Football Club
The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...
and made his AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
debut in 2001 with the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
. He is a hard-running midfielder who is a vital part of the midfield at the Eagles.
Background
Kerr is of Anglo-IndianAnglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
descent. His father, Roger Kerr
Roger Kerr (footballer)
Roger Alan Kerr is a former Australian rules football player and coach. He played 85 games with in the West Australian Football League and in the South Australian National Football League , including the 1985 premiership, and later coach .-Career:Kerr was born in Calcutta to an English...
, was born in Calcutta to an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n mother and played for in the West Australian Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
(WAFL). His sister Samantha Kerr
Samantha Kerr
Samantha May Kerr is an Australian female football player currently playing for Australian W-League team Perth Glory...
plays for the Australia national women's soccer team
Australia women's national association football team
The Australia women's national association football team, nicknamed the Matildas , represents Australia in international women's association football and is governed by Football Federation Australia . The team has regularly qualified for both the Women's World Cup and the Olympics although has won...
, the Matildas, and for Perth Glory in the W-League
W-League (Australia)
The W-League is the preeminent women's semi-professional football league in Australia. Established in 2008, it is composed of eight teams - seven of them are affiliated with seven of the Australian clubs currently in the A-League, with the eighth team based in Canberra...
. Kerr is a second cousin of former Fremantle player Shaun McManus
Shaun McManus
Shaun John McManus is a former Australian rules footballer. He is one of the most popular players to ever represent the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League and is often seen as an icon or favourite son of the club...
.
Football career
Kerr was selected with the number 18 pick in the 2000 AFL Draft2000 AFL Draft
The 2000 AFL Draft was the annual draft of talented Australian rules football players by teams that participate in the Australian Football League. It consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and a rookie elevation....
. Kerr is widely known as one of the toughest players in the AFL. In August 2006, the much bigger Fraser Gehrig
Fraser Gehrig
Fraser Gehrig is a retired Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League who played for the St Kilda Football Club and the West Coast Eagles...
considered one of the strongest players in the AFL, tried to palm off a tackle by Kerr, only to have Kerr resist and re-tackle Gehrig, with the result being the umpire rewarding Kerr with a "holding the ball
Holding the ball
Holding the ball is a law in Australian Rules Football. It is necessary to prevent players from slowing down play. Instead of the umpire having to bounce the ball , it allows the defence a way to take possession directly from the attacking team.-Main Interpretation:The most basic description of...
" decision. Similarly, his physical strength was further demonstrated in round one in the 2007 AFL season
2007 AFL season
The 2007 AFL Season was the 111th season of the Australian Football League, the highest-level professional Australian rules football league in Australia...
against the Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
when he successfully tackled and took down the far bigger Barry Hall
Barry Hall
Barry Hall is a former Australian rules footballer. Hall is considered to be one of the best forwards of the modern era, being named All-Australian, leading his club's goalkicking on nine occasions and captaining the Sydney Swans to their 2005 AFL Grand Final victory...
in the goalsquare. It is play like this, along with the ability to rip balls out of seemingly impossibly congested packs that have earned Kerr an enormous esteem with West Coast fans, and fans of the game in general. Some commentators of the game such as former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon
Garry Lyon
Garry Peter Lyon is a former professional Australian rules football player and was captain of the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League. Since his retirement from football, he has been mainly an Australian rules football media personality, featuring on television, radio and in...
have agreed that Kerr is an underrated player and is of similar importance to West Coast as their better known superstars such as Chris Judd
Chris Judd
Christopher Dylan "Chris" Judd is a professional Australian rules footballer and current captain of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
and Ben Cousins
Ben Cousins
Benjamin Luke "Ben" Cousins is a former Australian rules footballer, best known for his 270-game career with and in the Australian Football League ....
. However with Judd and Cousins having recently departed from the club he is now likely to be regarded as one of, if not the most important player for the team. He also took a spectacular mark against Collingwood in Round 13 of the 2006 AFL season at the Telstra Dome.
In 2003, Kerr won the AFL Goal of the Year and was runner up to team-mate Ben Cousins
Ben Cousins
Benjamin Luke "Ben" Cousins is a former Australian rules footballer, best known for his 270-game career with and in the Australian Football League ....
in the AFL's most prestigious individual award the Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
in 2005.
In 2005 Kerr nearly provided one of the biggest upsets in Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
history, leading the count towards the later rounds and finishing second to favourite, fellow teammate Ben Cousins
Ben Cousins
Benjamin Luke "Ben" Cousins is a former Australian rules footballer, best known for his 270-game career with and in the Australian Football League ....
. In the following year, he came third in the Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
count with 22 votes, however, was ineligible due to a striking charge against Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell
Sam Mitchell (footballer)
Samuel Mitchell is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Debut season :...
in Round 14.
However, Kerr claims that Brownlow night 2006 was something of an epiphany for him, and he realised the folly of his on-field indiscretions.
Kerr has recently been nicknamed "The People's Champion" as used by Chris Judd
Chris Judd
Christopher Dylan "Chris" Judd is a professional Australian rules footballer and current captain of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
in an interview with Dennis Cometti
Dennis Cometti
Dennis Cometti is a former Australian rules football player and coach for West Perth in the West Australian Football League and Footscray in the Victorian Football League but is best known as a commentator. In a career spanning almost 40 years, his dry humour and smooth voice have become his...
on Perth's Channel Nine news on 2006-09-18. The nickname may have been adapted to Kerr due to his omission from the official 2006 AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
All-Australian team, despite having another stellar season.
In 2006, Kerr was part of the Eagles' 2006 premiership side
2006 AFL Grand Final
The 2006 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 2006. It was the 110th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, staged to...
. He played with broken bones in his foot.
In 2007, Kerr had another great year with the eagles. He came runner up in the Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
for a second time in his career, Jimmy Bartel
Jimmy Bartel
James 'Jimmy' Bartel is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League . A midfielder at and , Bartel is a Brownlow Medallist, two-time All-Australian, and was part of the Cats' AFL premiership-winning teams in 2007, 2009 and 2011, being named the...
was the winner.
In round 10 of the 2009 season Kerr was suspended for 1 week for striking Carlton's Marc Murphy. After an appeal by the Eagles the decision was upheld by the AFL tribunal.
In round four, 2010 Kerr seriously injured his hamstring in the West Coast Eagles' win against Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, ending his season. His absence was felt on the field as the Eagles would win only three more games for the season.
Off-field controversies
In September 2002 Kerr was involved in a brawl with team mate Ben CousinsBen Cousins
Benjamin Luke "Ben" Cousins is a former Australian rules footballer, best known for his 270-game career with and in the Australian Football League ....
at a Perth nightclub during the club's end of season celebrations, in which Cousins punched Kerr in the face. Later the same night, Kerr pushed Cousins down a flight of stairs, breaking his arm.
In 2004 Kerr was charged with forging
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
a prescription
Medical prescription
A prescription is a health-care program implemented by a physician or other medical practitioner in the form of instructions that govern the plan of care for an individual patient. Prescriptions may include orders to be performed by a patient, caretaker, nurse, pharmacist or other therapist....
. He was given the blank prescription by a person at a party and went to a 24-hour chemist to buy 50 valium tablets. The court fined him a total of $400 and made a spent conviction order. He was also fined $5,000 by the club and was be required to complete community service throughout the football season.
In January 2007 Kerr and his father were charged with assault following a party in Perth. Kerr is understood to have been at a farewell party for his sister's friend in Attadale before trouble erupted shortly after midnight. Reports suggested that Kerr's sister complained about being touched inappropriately by another partygoer and a fight erupted soon after on the street. An 18-year-old man suffered a broken nose and broken tooth and was taken to Fremantle Hospital
Fremantle Hospital
Fremantle Hospital is a 24 hour acute-care public teaching hospital situated in central Fremantle, Western Australia, south of Perth.Fremantle Hospital and Health Service provides 575 beds across all campuses, including a 66 bed psychiatric and psychogeriatric service.The main facility of Fremantle...
by a friend for treatment. Kerr was charged with two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm. He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm and was fined $2000 over the attack. His father was also fined after being found guilty of assault.
On 25 February 2007 Kerr was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after an altercation with a taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver. Kerr was later arrested again while at a training session, and further charged with assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
occasioning bodily harm and wilful damage. Police prosecutor Gary Flynn told the court Kerr saw the taxi and jumped screaming and shouting onto the boot. The taxi driver got out of his car and was attacked by Kerr, Sgt Flynn said. Kerr's lawyer John Prior said his client had gone out to dinner and "consumed too much alcohol" and "made a crucial bad judgement call". Kerr pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined.
On 23 March 2007 information was released that implicated Kerr in drug dealing over the phone. Kerr's conversations with convicted drug dealer Shane Waters relating to a "big bag of horse chaff" were recorded by police phone taps in 2003.
On 3 April 2010 Kerr was ordered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal to pay $13,125 to teenager Troy Luies, after Luies had filed a claim for the injuries he suffered at the hands of Kerr on 14 January 2007. Assessor William Millar awarded Mr Luies compensation for the assault by Kerr, as payment for his hospital bills, lost pay and for trauma suffered.
Personal life
Like fellow West Coast EaglesWest Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
teammate Quinten Lynch
Quinten Lynch
Quinten Peter Lynch is a West Coast Eagles Australian rules footballer. He mainly plays at full forward and centre half forward, and is a regular goal-kicker.-Career:...
, Daniel Kerr also attended Aquinas College
Aquinas College, Perth
Aquinas College is a Catholic independent, day and boarding school for boys, located in Salter Point, Western Australia. Its sister school is Santa Maria Ladies College located in Attadale...
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
In April 2011, Kerr launched his own website. On the 22nd of June 2011, Daniel and wife Natasha welcomed daughter Lola Violet Kerr.