Young Crows Brad Crouch, Sam Kerridge and Jarryd Lyons were boundary side last week as St Peter’s College demolished Melbourne Grammar by 108 points at St Peter’s.

Crouch, Kerridge, Lyons and Aidan Riley are assisting Saints as part of a Certificate IV in Sports Coaching. Ricky Henderson, who has an interest in teaching, is also helping out at the College.

Ben Rutten (Sacred Heart), Sam Jacobs (Immanuel College), Jared Petrenko and Brodie Smith (Henley High), Lewis Johnston (North Adelaide development squad), Patrick Dangerfield (West Adelaide) and Matthew Jaensch (Hahndorf) are also involved in football programs throughout Adelaide.

Kerridge said the players enjoyed the interaction with the students and aspiring footballers.

“It’s great to get out and watch the boys play. School footy is always exciting, playing alongside your best mates and doing what you love. Hopefully, some of these kids will be on the big stage soon,” Kerridge said during the match.

“At this stage, we have mentoring roles with a couple of the (First XVIII) players. Next term, we’ll be on the junior campus to help the younger kids. We’ll be taking a few drills at training, which will be a good experience for us.”

The St Peter’s team boasted budding stars and SANFL Under-18 representatives Mitch Harvey (North Adelaide) and Riley Knight (Woodville-West Torrens), while Melbourne Grammar had some familiar names in Charlie and Fraser Hawkins – the brother and cousin of Geelong premiership player, Tom.

St Peter’s football coordinator Trevor Hill said the students benefited from the involvement of the Crows players.

“They’re AFL players and Crows players, so of course the students love them,” Hill said.

“It also helps the students realise that Sam, Brad, Jarryd and Aidan aren’t that much older than they are. Hopefully, some of the kids take onboard the tips the Crows boys are giving them and they’ll realise it’s not an impossible dream to find a pathway into the AFL.”