Alex Keath

It’s unlikely he could have imagined where the journey would take him from there.

From clinching victory with the Australian Under-19 World Cup team to a 109-game AFL career culminating in a grand final in Perth, Keath’s journey took unforeseen twists after his pivotal decision to choose cricket over footy in 2011.

His reflections on a remarkable career centres on memories of his early days and the connections he made along the way.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to play professional sports over the last 10 to 15 years in cricket and football,” Keath said.

“Enduring relationships are probably the best thing about sport, and it’s taken me to different parts of Australia and different parts of the world, so I feel very fortunate.

“It makes me reflect on my upbringing in Kialla and how many people helped me along the way.

“Particularly in those early years when I was playing cricket at the Kialla Knights Cricket Club, there were guys there that were integral to my upbringing.

“I probably spent as much time there on the weekends and at training as I did at home, away from school.

“I didn't start playing footy until I was a bit older, but I had a mate, Luke Lowden, who was involved at Dookie; we’d head out to Dookie and play in the under-14s.

“I think I used to play in a pair of baseball cleats because I was playing baseball at the time.

“Wanganui was great — we had a great coach called Phil Carroll, who instilled a lot of confidence in me.

“We went close to making a grand final one year; we never reached the ultimate, unfortunately, but they were very enjoyable times growing up in Shepparton.”

Keath led with his heart when deciding to sign with Cricket Victoria in a decision that saw him play seven Sheffield Shield games, 16 List A appearances, and several seasons in the Big Bash League playing for the Melbourne Stars, as well as two stints in the PM’s XI.

It’s his cricket highlights that stand out when pinpointing some of his best memories.

“Certainly the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand and playing alongside some guys that have gone on to have significant international careers,” Keath said.

“Mitch Marsh was captain and just an incredible leader, Josh Hazelwood was one of the best players I played with, and there was a number of players that went on to have really impactful careers.

“In New Zealand, we’d all just turned 18, and we were having the time of our lives, so that’s certainly a fond memory.

“Playing First Class cricket for Victoria was a huge achievement, something that was a massive goal of mine.

“To have my cap presented to me by David Hussey and play against the English touring team during the Ashes, that was awesome.”

In 2015, his cricket dream came to a halt at the conclusion of his Cricket Victoria contract, but after seeking further opportunities in South Australia, Keath found his way to the AFL.

“It was a bit of an uncertain time,” Keath said.

“I thought I still wanted to keep persisting with cricket and moved to South Australia initially to try and restart my career after things finished up at Victoria.

“I played local cricket and was training with the Adelaide Crows with the view to becoming a Category B rookie.

“It was becoming clearer towards the end of the summer that if I was going to have another crack at football, I’d have to take the opportunity there and then.”

And take it he did, opting for the Adelaide Crows, starting out in the SANFL before eventually building up to his debut in 2017 against Geelong.

His 30-game tenure at the Crows was highlighted by a Showdown Medal in 2019 before Keath turned his eyes back east to Victoria and a spot with the Bulldogs.

Keath became a favourite down at Whitten Oval, recognised with a Best Team Player accolade in 2021 and experiencing the roller-coaster of COVID-19 era AFL football en-route to the Bulldogs’ 74-point defeat in the grand final of that year.

“(Joining the Bulldogs) was a fantastic opportunity to come back to Melbourne and get involved with a young and highly talented list,” he said.

“We missed the top four (in 2021) and with COVID-19, we played a home elimination final in Tasmania, a semi final up in Brisbane the next week, and then down to Adelaide for the preliminary final before heading across to Perth for the grand final.

“It was a really strange period of time there, but we were fortunate that we could keep playing while everyone was in lockdown back home.”

Keath called time on his AFL career last year, drawing the curtain on a fine career that sees him join illustrious company in the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame.