A travelling emergency for the Crows’ clash with Hawthorn last weekend, promising midfielder Sam Kerridge was jolted into game mode when he received a phone call from coach Brenton Sanderson on the morning of the game. 

“I was still asleep,” Kerridge told Channel Crow.

Click the play button above to watch the RAA Crows News Update featuring the interview with Sam Kerridge

“It was about 8:30 Sunday morning when ‘Sando’ called me and said, ‘look, we’re going to play you’. I had a grin from ear to ear for about three hours after that.

“My mindset definitely did change after that call. It was funny because I sat next to Ian Callinan on the flight on the way to Melbourne. He basically said, ‘just prepare normally because anything can happen’.

“After the injury-free pre-season we had I didn’t think much of it … but as it turned out he was right and it happened. I was in the right place at the right time and I was over the moon.”

The unexpected and late call-up had Kerridge beaming, but put his parents in a tough position.

“It was such late notice,” Kerridge said.

“My parents were already away in Ballarat at a basketball tournament with my younger sister and her team ended up making the grand final on the same day. I think they were torn between watching me and watching her, but they were already in Ballarat.

“It was pretty big for my sister and, hopefully, I’ll play a few more games that they can come and watch.”

Kerridge, who came on late in the third quarter after starting the game as a substitute, was limited to three possessions on debut.

Sanderson conceded it was a tough ask for debutant Kerridge to come on late in the game, but the 18-year-old said he was thrilled just to be part of the action.

“Running out onto the ‘G’ for the first time was outstanding,” he said.

“I would’ve been happy to sit on the bench the whole game, but to get out there and get a few touches was fantastic.

“Regardless of the score, I didn’t really focus on anything else other than the football and where I was supposed to be. It was a bit weird like that. You’d think you would run out onto a ground like that, hear the crowd yelling and take notice of the time or the score, but it was the complete opposite for me.

“It’s definitely not a lie when you hear guys say nothing can prepare you for your first AFL game. I see myself as being fairly fit, but to step up to that level was hard and I was blowing within the first two minutes.”

As well as being one of Adelaide’s top endurance runners (he posted the best pre-Christmas five-minute run result during his first pre-season), Kerridge has also impressed in the gym.

At the Club’s season launch, Patrick Dangerfield and Rory Sloane revealed the former Bendigo Pioneers onballer had bench-pressed 119kg over the summer - a feat the duo said took them 2-3 pre-seasons to achieve.

“That’s Paddy for you, he likes to talk,” Kerridge said in response to the pair.

“I don’t mind it in the gym. I’m pretty competitive and try to outdo everyone whether I can lift the weight or not. I got lucky that day.”

Kerridge’s teammates also give him a hard time for his current living arrangement, which sees him sharing a roof with Crows Football Operations General Manager, Phil Harper.

“The boys get into me, saying ‘Phil - the boss. You’d have to be pretty careful around the house’, but Phil’s like any other person at home,” Kerridge said.

“We rarely chat about footy and get along well. He’s actually the table tennis champion at home. I couldn’t be happier living there. The move has been easy. I moved away from home in Mildura to Bendigo in Year 11, so I’d already had two years with a host family before coming to Adelaide.

“To come over here and the opportunity to give footy a red-hot crack, is all that I wanted so moving was never an issue.”

Kerridge will have to wait until the team to play Greater Western Sydney is named to learn whether he’ll keep his spot in the team.

And if he doesn’t, he’ll be doing everything he can with SANFL club Sturt to earn a recall.

 “I’m keen to keep putting my foot forward and knocking on that door,” he said.

“There are a lot of guys in the SANFL pushing for selection, so everyone has to play well each week. It’s a really exciting time.”