Neil Kerley’s wife Barbara looks back on life with beloved husband

The wife of football legend Neil Kerley says she grabbed the car keys ready to go look for him when he didn’t return home. But then a policeman arrived.

It was far from a love at first sight when Barbara watched her future life partner, Neil Kerley, a strapping 19-year-old, play footy for North Whyalla.

“I didn’t like him at first, I thought he was big-headed” she recalls from her Walker Flat home.

“He was just very full of himself, very confident and cocky, because as a footballer he was more outstanding than the others.”

Mrs Kerley said she changed her mind because the following week the young gun asked her out – and she agreed.

Sitting on Neil’s favourite recliner chair, overlooking the River Murray, Mrs Kerley said her beloved husband’s shock death on June 29 still hasn’t sunk in.

“Every now and then my ear pricks up and I think that might be him, because he drove a big diesel car,” she said on Sunday.

A glass of red wine, poured for Kerley the night he died, rests not far from Mrs Kerley.

He loved red wine, and liked it at room temperature, she said.

Mrs Kerley said she was reading a book when Neil said he was going out to collect kindling for the fire.

Campbell Hossack, 15, Barb Kerley, and Gail Kerley at the family home in Walker Flat. Picture: Matt Loxton

“I offered to come with him, but he said ‘no you stay here by the fire and read your book I won’t be long,’’ Mrs Kerley, 85, said.

“It got to be about 10 to six, it was quite dark, I thought he should be home by now.”

After three failed attempts to call her husband she decided to look for him, assuming that he might have had a flat tyre.

“I just got my car keys to go and look for him and then a policeman came. As soon as I saw his badge I just knew it was bad news.”

Early crash investigations indicate Kerley, whose car was towing a trailer, had a medical episode before he crashed his vehicle through a fence and into a paddock on Mallee Rd.

Kerley, 88, was just 4km from home.

Reflecting on their life Mrs Kerley said their relationship was not without its hardships after losing two of their children including their daughter Robyn to a heart attack eight years ago.

In a twist of fate, the couple lost their son Donald to lung cancer on the same date that Kerley died, three years prior.

“It’s weird to say but it's a bit of comfort that it happened on the same day to me, that’s the way we look at it … it's a bit of a gift really,” Kerley’s daughter Gail, 52, said.

“I don’t think Dad recovered after Donald died, it really floored him. It just broke his heart; I don’t think he ever got over it.”

Neil Kerley and his daughter Gail Cox at the presidents lunch

Neil Kerley with his wife and baby daughter Gail in 1969

Neil Kerley with wife Barbara with children Donald, Gail, Robyn and grandson Jason in 1983.

Mrs Kerley said her son and husband loved watching the Crows play – and would cheer “loudly on Saturday nights”.

West Adelaide legend Kerley played 157 games for the team from 1957-1963 before moving to South Adelaide in 1964, and Glenelg from 1957-1969.

The two-time SANFL premiership captain-coach also coached Westies, South Adelaide, Glenelg, West Torrens and Centrals in his coaching career from 1961-1993

Kerley was inducted into the Australian football Hall of Fame in 1997 and into the SA Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

He was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 2007.

Known to many as either Kerls, the King, or Knuckles due to the number of hand injuries he suffered during his football career, close family said he was different behind closed doors.

“He was my mate, he was much softer than people thought he was,” Mrs Kerley said.

“Every morning he would make me a cup of tea and bring it to me in bed, then half an hour later … he’d make me another cup of tea and breakfast.”

The couple were married when Mrs Kerley was 19 years old in Whyalla, and together they hunted rabbits for their guests two days before the wedding.

Mrs Kerley’s job was to hold animals her soon-to-be husband had hunted.

“After I had about five rabbits in each hand it was getting heavy and I said Neil ‘It’s too heavy I can’t carry them.’”

“So he got his knife out and gutted them and said ‘they’ll be lighter now,’” she said with a laugh.

In 2001 the couple retired to their Walker Flat home, a small tight-knit regional town near Mannum where Kerley would busy himself with fishing, hunting, gardening, and “fixing things”.

Neil Kerley in pictures: The player and the coach

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In summer they would eat dinner on the balcony overlooking the river.

“Neil would say, ‘Why would you want to be anywhere else?’”

He loved golf and played at the Swan Reach Golf Club with friends every Tuesday.

Kerley watched the first two quarters of AFL games as they happened, before retiring to bed. He would wake about 5.30am and watch the second two quarters in the morning.

Born in Barmera, Kerley grew up with football, and loved to talk about his achievements among his family.

Gail said her dad referred to her as princess, pet, or young lady when she was in trouble.

“A lot of people wouldn't realise that he was extremely generous and very patient with younger people … he was very proud of Campbell (his grandson, 15),” she said.

“He was always positive, we were not allowed to be negative. He hated negative talk so I’ve been brought up to always look at life that way which is a great gift.”

Mrs Kerley was overwhelmed and thankful of the local community’s support, and grateful to all South Australians who reached out to offer support.

She was humbled by Premier Peter Malinauskas’ offer for a state funeral in her husband’s honour. Plans for the event will start being prepared today.

“I think after the funeral is when it will hit me, I’ve been going off adrenaline for the last few days I think,” she said.

“You can’t forget him quick … we’ll just be talking about him as if he’s still here.

“He would’ve said: ‘Had a bloody good innings.”

Mr Malinauskas described Kerley as both an “SA icon and football legend”.

Graham Cornes with Neil Kerley on set of TV program Footy Plus

Cornes and Cunningham want to see Kerley honoured in bronze

By Lauren Thomas-Nehmy

South Australian sporting icons Graham Cornes and Ken Cunningham want to see the late Neil Kerley join “the brass club” of bronze statues at Adelaide Oval.

The pair have expressed their support for a proposed project to acknowledge Mr Kerley’s extensive list of contributions to football.

Neil Kerley in 1961.

Mr Cunningham said Mr Kerley gave his life to the game, both on and off the field.

“He was a player, a foundation member of the Adelaide Crows and major contributor to state football, any part of the game, ‘Kerls’ had an enormous influence,” he said.

“It would be hard to find a more-worthy recipient.”

Following the news of his death, clubs and industry figures across the country have paid tribute to the football great.

Mr Cornes said the outpouring of grief has been unprecedented.

“Most of Neil’s heroic deeds were 30 or 40 years go, so some may have felt that he faded from football memory, but the response to his passing has been overwhelming,” he said.

SANFL chief executive Darren Chandler said the SANFL and SA Football Commission would consider the project in consultation with the Kerley family.

An Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority (AOSMA) spokesperson also confirmed the AOSMA would be pleased to consider an approach to host a statue of Mr Kerley.

Mr Kerley would be the fifth football legend to be commemorated in bronze at Adelaide Oval, joining Barrie Robran, Ken Farmer, Malcolm Blight and Russell Ebert.