Kerr played just 11 games in 2008, with his input curtailed by injury and on-field indiscretions. Surgery on the knee forced him to miss the Eagles last seven matches and has resulted in a modified pre-season training program.
West Coast football manager Neale Daniher told The West Australian newspaper that the club would be taking no chances on Kerr, who is running but avoiding heavy contact drills.
“[Kerr] had that arthroscope on his knee and what we are doing is just managing his workload out on the track. We are minimising his kicking,” Daniher said.
The Eagles play Collingwood in Cape Town on February 7 but due to the spread of the first round NAB Cup draw, will not play again until February 28, putting Kerr in the frame for a possible return then or in early March.
The club's five draftees -- Nick Naitanui, Luke Shuey, Tom Swift, Ashley Smith and Jordan Jones -- are also unlikely to travel to South Africa to take on the Pies, with Daniher saying team selection would depend largely on players' preparations.
“The blokes that are up and going and had a really good preparation will probably make the trip to South Africa and we probably won’t take the young guys,” he said.
West Coast will wrap up their pre-Christmas training with a camp at Rottnest Island next week.
