When Sam Kerridge pulled up at his auntie’s house in Windsor on Thursday afternoon, the heavens suddenly opened and it bucketed down with rain – lots of rain.
Fifteen minutes later the sun was shining and the sky was blue as he unpacked his luggage from the car into his new room.
Welcome to Melbourne, Kerridge!
The 22-year-old has just made the move from South Australia to Victoria, and it’s fair to say he’s very happy to be here.
“It’s been a pretty action-packed few weeks between finding out (he’d been traded), moving over, trying to pack up the house and finding somewhere to live – but I’m really excited to finally be here,” Kerridge said.
“Obviously it’s a great club, it’s a big club and there’s plenty of opportunity as well.
“Carlton’s got a great base now and I’m really looking forward to developing as a team and climbing up the ladder as the years progress – it’s just a really exciting time at the footy club.”
The midfielder is moving in with his auntie Yvonne until he and his partner find a place of their own and get settled into their new Melbourne lifestyle.
Between finding the quickest route to Ikon Park and sourcing the best local places to eat, Kerridge is taking everything in his stride – including meeting his new coach and teammates.
“I’ve met him (Brendon Bolton) a few times and he’s been fantastic for me…I’m really excited about what he can bring to the Club and I’m really looking forward to the next couple of years.
“I’ve stuck my head in a few times and trained with a few of the boys like ‘Bucks’ (Dylan Buckley), Dennis Armfield, Jason Tutt and Matty Dick as well – it’s been great and the boys have been fantastic.”
When he’s not playing or training, the Mildura boy likes sipping a good coffee – so he’ll feel right at home on Lygon Street.
“I’m happy just to go and grab a coffee by myself … all Melbourne people say they have the best coffee in Australia, so we’ll have to wait and see,” he laughed.
Like many players, including Blues vice-captain Michael Jamison, Kerridge is also partial to the odd game of golf, although he admits needing a lot more practice.
“I don’t mind a bit of golf every now and again.
“I always think ‘yep, I’m going to pick golf up’ but then I’m no good at it so I flick it away again,” he joked.
“I also like to have a surf every now and again.”
Although he hasn’t managed to squeeze in as many coffee dates or games of golf as he would have liked, the 22-year-old has had a bit of a break over the off-season.
“I snuck off to Bali for a couple of days which was fantastic.
“I do enjoy the off-season but I do look forward to getting back into the swing of it and getting back to training.”
