Kerley, Cornes and Wanganeen named as All Star assistant coaches under Blight for EJ Whitten Legends game
THEY are legends of South Australian football and now Kerley, Cornes and Wanganeen are adding their footy knowledge to help the All Stars beat the Victorians in the EJ Whitten Legends game at Adelaide Oval.
KERLEY, Cornes and Wanganeen. They are names synonymous with South Australian football.
And they will be combining their footy genius as assistant coaches alongside head coach Malcolm “The Messiah” Blight when the All Star team takes on Victoria in the EJ Whitten Legends game at Adelaide Oval next Friday night.
Kerley and Cornes have a long history dating back to the 1970s when “Kerls” was coach of the South Australian state team; Cornes and Blight his stars players.
But Kerley admits he won’t be quick to give tips to Blight come game night.
“(An assistant coach should) keep his mouth shut, that’s the best thing to do,” Kerley said.
“I’ll let Malcolm do all that. It’s just about being there and maybe helping out in odd ways.”
However, Kerley hasn’t ruled out bribing the umpires to beat the Vics.
“I think we may have to (use bribery) this year, because they’re a very formidable team, the Victorians, but we’ll peg them down,” he said.
Both Cornes and Kerley were worried that some members of the All Star team were on the wrong side of middle age, but were confident it would all provide an entertaining game of footy.
“When you put old footballers together and give them a football, they still think they can do it and still try and do it, some of them can,” Cornes said.
“I’m concerned about some of the older players on our list; I don’t know what Blighty was thinking picking Andrew Jarman, I don’t know what that’s all about.
“But I expect the crowd to come along and have some laughs and marvel at the skills and abilities that some of the players have got.”
And those with skills to marvel at will surely include the likes of Chad Cornes, Andrew McLeod and Alan Didak for the All Stars and Josh Gibson, Luke Power and Travis Cloke for the Victorians.
Wanganeen, who represented the All Stars about eight years ago when he was fresh out of football, was confident of a win on South Australian turf.
“The All Stars seem to lose most (of these) games and I’m not sure if that has something to do with the umpiring, but we’re on home soil here in South Australia, so look out you Vics, we’re here to play,” he said.
Speaking of playing, Cornes questioned why Wanganeen wasn’t pulling on the boots.
“I’m not fit enough,” the Port Adelaide and Essendon legend said.
“Maybe next year I’ll do a three-month training program and get fit,” he said.
And while the game is all good fun for the footballing community, there is a serious message behind it: men’s prostate health.
EJ Whitten died in 1995 after a long battle with prostate cancer. This year, the game is also raising funds for the Little Heroes Foundation.
Kerley encouraged all men over 40 to have his prostate checked.
“EJ and I go back a long time,” he said. “He punched my nose more than I punched his over the years.
“He was a great person, great for football but he was stubborn … you guys out there in your 40s and 50s, go out there and do a simple thing, it could save your life.”
* EJ Whitten Legends game All Stars vs Victoria, Friday, August 31, Adelaide Oval. Gates open 5.15pm. Match starts 7.25pm. Tickets through Ticketek.