Past player - Dean Kemp (1990-2001)

[Miguel Sanchez]

Dean Kemp​

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Nickname: Tommy​

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DOB: 17/2/69

Height: 182cm

Weight: 81 kg

Playing number: 33 (1990), 2 (1991 – 2001)

Arrived: Drafted at pick 117 (no, that’s not a typo) in the 1989 national draft, from Subiaco

Debut: Round 1, 1990 vs Collingwood – 57th Eagles player.

Games: 243

Goals: 117

Won: Premiership medals in 1992 and 1994.
Norm Smith Medal in 1994.
All-Australian in 1992.
Club Champion in 1992.
West Coast Rookie of the Year in 1990.
Best Clubman in 1999.
Team 20 selection in 2006.
West Coast Hall of Fame induction in 2011.

Departed: Retired during the 2001 season.

A beautifully-skilled and tough as nails midfielder, “Tommy” Kemp was a captain of the club and won almost every accolade possible in his distinguished career.

Hailing from the Goldfields, Kemp somehow slipped through until the very last handful of picks of the 1989 VFL draft when West Coast, given the chance to top up their list after all other clubs had finished drafting, grabbed him along with Tony Begovich and Brad Gwilliam.

The sandy-haired kid was an instant hit, playing in 23 of a possible 26 games in his first season and finishing equal 5th in the Club Champion award. Unsurprisingly he took out the Rookie of the Year award, ahead of fellow Subiaco product and good friend Brett Heady.

Upgraded to the #2 jumper in 1991 following the retirement of John Annear, Kemp played another 23 games in his sophomore year, finishing in the top 10 in the best and fairest.

Despite an impressive record to that point, 1992 was Tommy’s real break-out year with the skilled mid playing every game, averaging nearly 22 possessions a game and easily winning the Club Champion award. Kemp was rewarded for his big year by being selected on a wing in the All-Australian team. Oh, and by getting a premiership medal after being among the Eagles’ best in the grand final win over Geelong.

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Tommy wearing the premiership T-shirt, sitting alongside Turls, Woosh and the hallowed cup.​

After an injury-interrupted 1993, where he played just 17 games, 1994 saw Kemp return to, if not his 1992 form, then at least something approaching it. There was certainly no faulting his performance in the grand final, with the gun centreman kicking 2 goals to go with his 23 possessions in a Norm Smith Medal-winning performance.

Kemp came close to winning a second Club Champion award in 1995 and again in 1997, finishing runner-up in both years (to Glen Jakovich and Peter Matera respectively). 1998 and 1999 were down years for Kemp, relatively speaking, although ’99 was notable for the popular on-baller playing his 200th game (unfortunately marked with a loss to St Kilda) and being awarded the Best Clubman medal.

Tommy had a third runner-up finish in the Club Champion award in 2000, again finishing just behind Jakovich. He also had his best result in the Brownlow Medal count, catching the umpires’ eye with a series of possession counts in the high 30s, including a career-best 38 against Hawthorn.

With the retirement of Guy McKenna at the end of the 2000 season, Kemp was named co-captain for 2001, the idea being that he would be a senior figure to help guide his very young co-captain (a 22 year old Ben Cousins) through the season. Sadly, a series of concussion-related injuries resulting from Kemp’s unflinching style of play over the years, intervened and limited him to just 9 games as captain. Late in the year, Kemp tearfully announced his retirement from AFL football.

Dean “Tommy” Kemp finished his 243-game, 12-season Eagles’ career with two premiership medals, a Norm Smith Medal, an All-Australian jumper, a Club Champion award (along with three runner-up finishes and four more finishes inside the top 10), a Best Clubman award and a Rookie of the Year. The famous dual premiership lineup of Matera-Kemp-Mainwaring remains one of the best centrelines boasted by any club, and was reflected in both the Team of the Decade in 1996 and Team 20 in 2006. Kemp was inducted into the WA Football Hall of Fame in 2005, the AFL Hall of Fame in 2007 and the West Coast Hall of Fame in 2011.

In retirement, Kemp has set up camp in the state’s South West. He currently runs a football camp for kids in regional areas.
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[Spooky17]

An absolute gun and champion of the club.

 

[Chris_6678]

He still mentors our midfielders..good to see him still involved.

 

[Matera92]

Silk personified.

 

[Barney44]

Brett Heady tells the story that it was between him and Kemp as to who would debut round one 1990. Heady decided to go round to Micks house and mow his lawn to get in his good books. He rolled up at 7am and Kemp was already there, he had cut the lawn, pruned the roses and was halfway through cleaning the gutters.

That was why Kemp played his first game in round 1 and Heady had to wait until round 4.

 

[Matera LeNui]

My coach in under 10's told me to go home and watch how Kemp tackles! good advice! smooth mover

 

[Spooky17]

Brett Heady tells the story that it was between him and Kemp as to who would debut round one 1990. Heady decided to go round to Micks house and mow his lawn to get in his good books. He rolled up at 7am and Kemp was already there, he had cut the lawn, pruned the roses and was halfway through cleaning the gutters.

That was why Kemp played his first game in round 1 and Heady had to wait until round 4.

Hilarious story

 

[tesseract]

Dean Kemp is an absolute champion of the game and among the very best to ever don an Eagles guernsey. A truly remarkable player.

 

[kempy]

A true champion, a star and my hero on the football field.

 

[The_Eagles]

His one all australian doesn't really tell of how good he was, same with kerr

 

[kempy]

Brett Heady tells the story that it was between him and Kemp as to who would debut round one 1990. Heady decided to go round to Micks house and mow his lawn to get in his good books. He rolled up at 7am and Kemp was already there, he had cut the lawn, pruned the roses and was halfway through cleaning the gutters.

That was why Kemp played his first game in round 1 and Heady had to wait until round 4.

Good story but Kempy would have been in trouble for pruning roses in late March !

 

[flamingEMBERS]

such whispy baby hair.

why was he called tommy?

 

[Matera LeNui]

There is no doubt in my mind that he is the closest Eagle we've had that most resembles a chicken

 

[West Coast Weasel]

My all time fave Eagle, thanks for the awesome trip down memory lane

 

[flamingEMBERS]

My all time fave Eagle, thanks for the awesome trip down memory lane

why was he called tommy then?

 

[West Coast Weasel]

why was he called tommy then?

Because he liked to put tomato sauce on everything.

 

[flamingEMBERS]

Because he liked to put tomato sauce on everything.

so skip

 

[West Coast Weasel]

so skip

Yeah they were a funny bunch back then

 

[JinmboJones]

Loved watching him. ANyone know what he's up to these days?

 

[sydney eagle]

why was he called tommy then?

I think I read somewhere that because of his fair hair and skin he looked like an Englishman hence "Tommy the Pommy", but I can't vouch for the truth of that.

 

[bkozican]

Still to this day my favourite eagle to ever play the game.

 

[Public Enemy No1]

magic player
big game performer

 

[Clint Beastwood]

Some of my earliest memories of watching the Eagles are of Kempy

A little off topic but when he first opened up his Mitre 10 here Dad and I went in after my game of u/11 or whatever it was to get a new gas bottle, we were in a bit of a queue and Kempy picked out Dad and asked "just after a new gas bottle mate?", Dad said yes, Kempy took it, said he'd be back in a sec, and literally ran weaving through people and aisles with an empty gas bottle, picked up a full one and ran back to us with it. Talk about service