St Joseph’s loses another key GFL star in Riley Kershaw
Another prime mover will not return to Joeys next year, with the three-time GFL premiership player hanging up the boots.
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The reset at St Joseph’s is in full swing after Riley Kershaw became the latest star player to confirm he will not play at the club in 2023.
The three-time GFL flag winner has retired at age 28 after deciding not to push himself through an exhaustive rehab on a second torn ACL.
Kershaw busted his knee in the final quarter of this year’s round 5 win over Lara, three years after his first ACL tear.
He took time to consider whether to play on but after extensive surgery, growing demands at work and a child on the way at home, he decided to pull the pin.
Kershaw joins fellow prime movers Luke Webb (Strathfieldsaye), James Gow (moving to Cairns) and Riley Ferguson (Geelong Amateur) as outs for Joeys as the club turns a page under new coach Ron Watt.
“It was probably not too long after I did it to be honest, I was two months or so in and I saw the rehab the second time was a lot harder than the first time around so I came to it naturally that I didn’t want to go through that again,” Kershaw said.
“Watching from the sidelines towards the back end of the year was tough because you have that natural itch to get back out there, especially when it was a young group and it was exciting.
“Now the boys are getting back into pre-season you kind of miss it but … I was lucky enough to play in a few really good footy sides there so I can’t complain too much about it.”
Kershaw said he hadn’t “put too much thought” into taking up an off-field role in 2023 just yet.
Luke Webb confirms move from St Joseph’s
ST JOSEPH’S off-season exodus has continued ahead of the 2023 season, with star defender Luke Webb moving to Strathfieldsaye in the Bendigo Football League.
Webb is the latest of a handful of senior players to leave Joeys after their campaign ended against Leopold in the elimination final, with stars James Gow (moved to Cairns) and Riley Ferguson (Geelong Amateur) moving clubs, while former coach Paul Carson also stepped away from the role.
Webb said the time was right to move on, signing with the 2022 grand finalists as a playing assistant coach.
“With some of my mates moving on, I thought in my head that if I was going to do anything different, the age I am now is the perfect time to do it,” he said.
“I’ve been thinking that I’d want to move into a coaching position eventually, so this is a good opportunity to try my hand at that, I’ve also got a mate, Cooper Jones, at the club as well so he got in my ear a bit.
“It was difficult saying goodbye to Joeys and all my mates there, I’ve been playing there for the last six or so years so we’ve got lots of great memories.
“I felt a little bit towards the end of the year that I was a little unsure about what I wanted to do or how I was feeling, but I took my time after the season to let it settle in.”
Webb only managed 12 games in 2022 for St Joseph’s after a collarbone injury ruled him out for an extended period of time, but he returned late in the season and played a pivotal role as a swingman, kicking 10 goals for the year.
He said he would play and coach in the defensive half of the ground, focusing on the back six for Strathfieldsaye.
“They’ve had a couple of changes in their backline in the off-season with a couple of older guys moving on, so it was a spot they needed to fill,” he said.
“That was what they put towards me, mainly on game day I’ll be taking charge of the backs and looking after them.
“I think being able to do a bit of coaching will definitely be good for my development as both a player and a coach.”
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Originally published as St Joseph’s loses another key GFL star in Riley Kershaw
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