Career : 1967 - 1970
Debut : Round 4, 1967 vs Melbourne, aged 19 years, 69 days
Carlton Player No. 798
Games : 39
Goals : 1
Last Game : Round 12, 1970 vs Essendon, aged 22 years, 114 days
Guernsey No. 9
Height : 177 cm (5 ft. 10 in.)
Weight : 76 kg (12 sone, 0 lbs.)
DOB : 26th February, 1948.
Peter Kerr’s arrival at Princes Park in 1966 coincided with the rebirth of the Blues under Ron Barassi. The eldest son of Carlton Hall of Fame inductee Laurie Kerr, Peter joined the Blues direct from St Kevin's College, Toorak, and wore guernsey number 9 in 39 senior matches over four seasons.
After spending his first year with Carlton Reserves, Kerr was promoted for his senior debut against Melbourne at the MCG in round 4, 1967. The Blues were sitting on top of the ladder undefeated at that stage, and gave the Demons no quarter – kicking seven unanswered goals in the opening term to set up a 59-point victory. Peter sat on the reserves bench for most of the match (alongside fellow debutant Bob Edmond) then picked up five disposals when he was sent on in the final quarter. He was a regular off the bench for most of the season after that, developing into a handy defensive type who could be relied on to bolster a tired or flagging defence. In round 17 against Collingwood at Victoria Park, however (his 13th game) Kerr swooped on a loose ball deep in attack and kicked the first and only goal of his career.
In September 1967, Peter’s promise was rewarded when he was selected at half-back in the Blues’ starting line-up for the second Semi-Final against Richmond at the MCG. Carlton started warm favourites against the inexperienced Tigers, but were blown away by 40 points. And it was a similar story the following week when Carlton met Geelong in the Preliminary Final. Kerr, John Goold and Peter McLean formed Carlton’s half-back line and they, like each of their team-mates, were swept aside in the second half, as the Cats piled on 11.4 to Carlton’s 1.6 after half-time and to crush Carlton’s flag hopes.
After that, although he was to play another three seasons at Princes Park, Kerr was to find it increasingly difficult to maintain a regular place in the senior team. Between 1969 and 1970, the club unveiled future star defenders Bruce Doull, David McKay, Phil Pinnell and John O’Connell, as well as Paul Hurst and Barry Mulcair. It was little wonder then, that Peter was overlooked for the Blues finals campaigns in 1968 and ’69, before finishing his career on a high when Carlton beat Essendon in a thriller at Windy Hill in round 12, 1970.
A decade on from his last game, Peter Kerr was appointed to the committee of the Carlton Football club amid the glory years of the early 1980s, when the Navy Blues dominated the competition to win three Premierships in four seasons. Over that time, Peter’s younger brother Mark Kerr was on Carlton’s list for a number of years, but didn’t play at senior level. Later still, the third Kerr brother; Stephen spent one season with the Blues' Under-19s in 1986.
Meanwhile, Peter, Mark and Stephen’s mother Vivienne maintained her close association with Carlton. From the day when Laurie Kerr played his first match, Viv had been a rusted-on Bluebagger, and she was eventually honoured as the club’s number 1 female member. In November 2016, Viv and the whole Kerr family were ecstatic when Peter’s 18 year-old son Patrick Kerr was recruited by the Blues in that year’s national draft.