There have been many milestones this season and Adam Spencer thinks he has one to add to the list when he runs out in his Redkite guernsey this weekend.
“Effectively I am setting a Club Record on the weekend, last weekend it was Mickey O and this weekend I break the all-time record for charity games,” Spencer told sydneyswans.com.au about his seventh outing in the Redkite colours.
This Sunday the annual Redkite Celebrity Game will be played at the SCG prior to the Swans taking on Carlton. The teams will be lead out by ABC’s Adam Spencer and Channel Seven’s Andrew O’Keefe - it is the latter’s first game at the helm.
Both captains brought some of their team members to the SCG yesterday for a last minute training session and had a bit of fun talking about their chances.
“I’m proud to say I saw off the Merrick Watts era, he was a great competitor and a worthy foe,” Spencer said of his former opposing captain.
“O’Keefe brings a whole new range of skills. The thing with O’Keefe, you watch the ball on to the boot and you swear it’s going one way but it goes the other way.
“He is very difficult to read, it’s a subtly that eludes most people. On the weekend he’ll be thinking he’ll hold the $200,000 case, no deal O’Keefe, no deal.”
O’Keefe agreed with his opposing captain, “I think once the game is over it will be a consensus it should be the last time as captain because I don’t know much about the rules,” the channel seven personality said.
“I know you’ve got to get the ball between the sticks and catching the ball is a mark, but the finer details elude me.
“Adam is putting bets on that I will hospitalise myself. The first year I pulled a groin, the second year I broke a finger, so in my third game I am guessing I’ll wake up in emergency working out what I did to myself!”
Both Spencer and O’Keefe are happy to joke about their football abilities, but when it comes to Redkite, they are a whole lot more serious.
“I love supporting Redkite, I find meeting the kids and parents thoroughly inspiring. The resilience of the kids and determination to get through their illness sort of defines victory in a way that no margin in a footy game could,” O’Keefe said.
Spencer added, “Redkite are a fantastic organisation that I’ve been involved in for about eight or nine years now. This game on the weekend is as much fun as I have all year. Supporting Redkite is really important and the Swans should be very proud of the support they give.”
Prior to the celebrity game, around 200 children and their families supported by Redkite, will enjoy a BBQ in the SCG precinct. Following the celebrity game, some of the children will form a guard of honour for the players to run through, before joining everyone else to watch the game.
People coming to the game this weekend should arrive early to not miss the 12.40pm celebrity game. Redkite will also be fundraising at the game, raffle sellers will be around the ground as will volunteers from Redkite with gold-coin donation buckets.
Teams
RED: Adam Spencer (c), Alex Davies, Zac Constintinou, Scott Dooley, Tom Williams, Chris Gabardi, Lehmo, Shannon Noll, Jessica Halloran, Sam Lane, Subby Valentine, Scott Hay, Stuart Ardlie
WHITE: Andrew O’Keefe (c), Chas Licciardello, Craig Reucassel, Guy Sebastian, Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson, Fuzzy, Nathan, Ajay Rochester, Leon Minervini, Stuart Macdermid, Nikki Tugwell, Kurt Gavin, Wes Denning, Peter Phelps, Tracee Hutchison.
Umpire: Craig Davis
Call team: Triple M's Russell Barwick and Troy Luff
