Player Inductee
Cygnet/Sandy Bay/Kingston/Sorell, Defender, 1964-1979
> Around 20 games for Cygnet, 1964
> 134 games for Sandy Bay, 1963, 1965-73
> Around 50 games for Kingston, 1974-76
> Sandy Bay TANFL Premierships, 1971, 1972
> Sandy Bay State Premiership, 1971 – Voted Best Afield
> Sandy Bay Football Club Life Member
> Cygnet Premiership, 1964
> Cygnet Best and Fairest, 1964
> Ivan Short Medallist, 1974 (Huon FA Best and Fairest)
> Captain of Kingston’s ‘Top Tigers’ Team, 1948-99
> Two-time Tasmanian representative at National Carnivals, 1969, 1972
> Multiple Tasmanian State Representative, 1971, 1972
> Lefroy Medallist v South Australia, 1971
> TFL Representative Teams, 1965, 1969, 1971
> Kingston Playing Coach, 1974-76
> Sorell Coach, 1977-79
An attacking centre half back who was well known for his excellent marking and long kicking, Kerry Doran was a key member of the powerhouse Sandy Bay sides of the early 1970’s.
Starting with Cygnet in the Huon Football Association in 1960 as a 15-year old, Doran featured in many underage premierships for the Magpies. After one season with Sandy Bay in 1963, he returned to Cygnet in 1964, winning the Cygnet senior Best and Fairest award in a year the Magpies won the premiership, and at season’s end again returned to TANFL football with Sandy Bay. He made an immediate impact, winning the E.C. Billett Shield as the best player under 21 in the competition, and also made his first appearance in the TANFL representative team. Unfortunately, his next two years were interrupted by national service and a tour of Vietnam.
He returned from active service in 1968 and enjoyed the richest success of his career as vice-captain in Sandy Bay’s back-to-back TANFL premierships in 1971-72, putting in a best afield performance in their final state premiership triumph over Latrobe in 1971. He departed Sandy Bay at the conclusion of the 1973 season after 134 games, taking on the playing-coach position with Kingston back in the Huon FA, taking out the Ivan Short Medal as Association Best and Fairest in his first year. He went on to take many more coaching roles, including with Sorell (1977-79) and New Town High School (1987-1990) before ending his coaching days with five flags as a bench coach for Hutchins in the Old Scholars FA.
Following the sad demise of his beloved Sandy Bay Football Club in 1997, Doran was one of the driving forces in re-energising the ‘Sandy Bay and South East Players, Official and Supporters’ group. Under his leadership as President the Association undertook major projects including the selection and announcement of the ‘Bay’s Best 25’ (of which he himself was a member), establishment of the Club’s Hall of Fame and the compiling, printing and sale of the book ‘The Spirit Never Dies’ covering the history of the Club.
