CONSISTENCY and versatility.
They are the key factors Kade Answerth has lived by as he has put together an impressive career that will hit a well-deserved crescendo when he plays his 100th and final Smithy’s VFL match in North Melbourne’s season-shaping showdown with Gold Coast at Arden St on Saturday morning.
But there will be no more after he announced his surprise retirement to his teammates at training on Tuesday night.
Still just 25, making him one of the youngest players to hit the milestone in recent times, Answerth has played for three VFL clubs, been co-captain at two of them and won a best-and-fairest in a career that has often flown under the radar due to the number of high-profile AFL players filtering through the teams at both Sandringham and now North Melbourne.
It has made him focus on being consistent and versatile to keep his place in transient teams that could feature as many as 10 changes each week depending on the health of the St Kilda or Kangaroos lists.
But he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“My consistency … I think helped me keep my spot in (AFL-aligned) teams where the AFL team is always changing,” Answerth said.
“Some weeks we have 15 AFL players and others we have eight and I’ve been able to keep my spot … I think that has come down to being able to play multiple positions and not just relying on playing midfield – I’ve learned other positions like half-forward or wing as well, which has held me in good stead across my journey.
“I guess you do fly under the radar a bit when you come up to milestones like this –you’ve got some really good AFL players playing with you that are in the public eye.
“It’s great to play with them because they’re professionals and you get to watch how they go about their business and the way they compete and it shows you why they play AFL footy.
“Us VFL players are making up the numbers, but I think that’s what’s been great about my career – those VFL guys I was a part of at Sandy and at North have been a great bunch of blokes … I’ve made good relationships and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.”
Answerth came through the juniors at Caulfield Bears and played APS for Caulfield Grammar before graduating into the Oakleigh Chargers in the then TAC Cup, where he played for three seasons, winning two premierships, representing Vic Metro and spending half his third year at Port Melbourne, where he debuted and played three senior and six Development League games.
But he was lured to Trevor Barker Beach Oval for the 2016 season and carved out a terrific career at the Zebras, playing 70 matches, winning the 2017 best-and-fairest and being named co-captain alongside the experienced Myke Cook, who provided him with terrific leadership guidance – a role he is now filling with Kangaroos co-captain Harry Jones, with whom he will share Saturday’s milestone … it will be Jones’ 50th VFL appearance.
“It has been really good to co-captain with a young guy like Harry – he’s really competitive and wants to get the best out of himself and it has been good to watch him grow into the leader he has been,” Answerth said.
“I did the same thing with Myke Cook at Sandy, I was co-captain with him and it was roles reversed – I was the young guy like Harry and Cooky was a little bit older than me, but it has been really good to teach Harry and provide some advice and guidance over the past two years … he will be a great VFL footballer for a long time and hopefully he can get back into the AFL system one day.
“The VFL is very young compared to when I started playing – with the guys and the talent we’ve got here at North, it has been really good to educate some of these younger players and the future players of the VFL on parts of the game and what I think – it’s great to be asked questions and provide guidance and pass on my experience and what I’ve learned.”
Answerth said reaching 100 games would be a moment of pride and a justification for his years of toil, especially with his AFL dream being behind him and his focus switching to watching younger brother Noah make his way with the Brisbane Lions.
“The work I’ve put into my football over the past seven or eight years and leading into my VFL career has paid off – it’s nice to achieve something that’s personal to me,” he said.
“It was a goal of mine early on and to reach it is nice on a personal level – it is becoming rarer with the climate of the competition.
“That (AFL) itch and desire has probably gone for me – I’m really happy with what I’m doing in life at the moment and I get to watch Noah every week, whether it be on the TV or if the opportunity pops up to go and watch him … it’s really exciting to watch him develop into the player he is and the adversity he’s gone through to get where he is today, coming up to his 50th AFL game and playing in a finals series this year.”
Twitter: @BRhodesVFL
KADE ANSWERTH
Port Melbourne 2015 – 3 matches, 0 goals
Sandringham 2016-19 – 70 matches, 30 goals; 2017 best-and-fairest
North Melbourne 2021-22 – 26 matches, 10 goals
Oakleigh Chargers 2013-15 – 31 matches, 15 goals
Vic Metro 2015 – 2 matches, 1 goal
