CS Team of the Century ǀ From Kialla Knights to Western Bulldogs, Alex Keath reflects on incredible sporting journey

In the lead-up to the ceremony, The News will run special feature pieces on all 30 players, before the release of a commemorative magazine on November 25.

There are few athletes across the country that possess the dual sporting capabilities Alex Keath does.

A dual-athlete with no shortage of accolades under his belt, the former Shepparton talent currently plies his trade for AFL outfit Western Bulldogs, having previously played for Adelaide from 2016-19.

But before his AFL journey took shape, cricket was front and centre in Keath’s sporting life, and the game has taken him far and wide throughout his junior years and beyond.

To gain better insight into a career as expansive as Keath’s, one must look to where it all began.

“My first memories of cricket in Shepp was the Shaun Brown Cricket Clinic where Merv Hughes came down to coach at Princess Park,” Keath said.

“I remember Mum and Dad taking me down to that and from there I joined up with the local club Kialla Knights as a junior.

“Garry Osborn was one of my first coaches, I really enjoyed those early years.”

Keath would make his senior debut in E-grade while still in the under-13s at the Knights, and with the help of a few old heads at Kialla, he shone in his formative years.

“Graham Redmond was my first senior captain, he was a great fella and looked after me really well,” Keath said.

“I started off in E-grade, but C-grade was where I played a fair bit of my cricket with Dave Irwin as captain, again, he was someone who looked after me and really helped my development at that time.

“Playing juniors and seniors, there were plenty of guys in the higher grades that I looked up to who were great role models for me, Kialla were really competitive at that time and I sort of always aspired to play with those guys one day or emulate what they’d done.

“They contributed to bringing me up in a way.”

Keath’s transition from junior cricket at Kialla to representative cricket in Melbourne would happen quickly throughout his teenage years.

In 2007, he was offered a place at Melbourne Grammar School and made the switch from his schooling at Goulburn Valley Grammar.

But before setting off for the big smoke, Keath recalls a fond memory in his final year at Kialla.

A regular A-grade talent for the Knights by this time, a clash with Central Park-St Brendan’s would have Keath come up against one of his coaches at Northern Rivers, Rohan Larkin.

“I batted down the order a bit, maybe six or seven and I’d always been susceptible to LBW early, Larko bowled to me and put it on a dime and crushed my big toe and I was out for a duck,” Keath said with a laugh.

While studying at Melbourne Grammar, Keath rose up the ranks and would make his first-class debut for Melbourne Cricket Club at just 16, coming up against a Dandenong side that boasted the likes of Peter Siddle and James Pattinson.

The next year, Keath’s talents with the Sherrin and superb form with Murray Bushrangers would catch the attention of newly-established Gold Coast Suns, but at the time Keath’s focus was firmly on the under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, which he was selected for in 2010.

A blistering knock of 88 and player-of-the-match performance against Ireland and a handful of tidy bowling performances — including 3-34 against South Africa — would cap a superb tournament for the young all-rounder.

“I got to play with some regulars in the national team now, Mitch Marsh was our captain, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson were all in the squad,” Keath said.

“That experience in New Zealand and winning with those boys was pretty special and certainly a highlight on my cricket journey.”

Keath’s eye-catching tournament saw him rewarded with a three-year Cricket Victoria contract while he was halfway through Year 12.

Faced with the choice between cricket and footy, Keath said he trusted his heart when making the decision.

“I decided to jump at it,” he said.

“I’d always loved my cricket and I wanted to give it a go, especially with an opportunity like that on the table, it was a pretty easy decision in the end.”

During the following five years, Keath played seven first-class matches for Victoria and 16 List A matches, also playing fairly regular premier cricket for Melbourne in that time, helping it to a premiership trifecta in the 2012-13 season.

Keath scored 2101 runs at 35.01 and took 79 wickets at 19.62 for Melbourne from 2010 to 2015.

In his winters, Keath made the trek north for stints with Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Brisbane and also ventured abroad to try his hand at first-class cricket in England.

Many would be well aware of the success Keath has enjoyed in his rise to football’s top tier in recent years.

After a brief stint in South Australia playing grade cricket, Keath was picked up by Adelaide and soared through its SANFL ranks to eventually make his AFL debut against Geelong in 2017.

Keath, now 30, will suit up for his fourth season for the Bulldogs next year.

From humble beginnings at Kialla Knights to an under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in the space of a few years, it’s no wonder Keath is among this coveted list of 30.

“It’s very humbling,” he said.

“I feel a little embarrassed as well, there’s some guys in that list who have had unbelievable careers in the SCA.

“To be named among those guys, I feel very proud and I’m just honoured.”