NORTHS veteran Steve Kerwitz has been labelled a "trophy hunter" by his teammates but is unashamedly seeking one last premiership victory before hanging up his cricket boots.

NORTHS veteran Steve Kerwitz has been labelled a "trophy hunter" by his teammates but is unashamedly seeking one last premiership victory before hanging up his cricket boots.

The trophy hunter barb, although made in jest, reflects Kerwitz’s good run in Cricket Far North A grade Grand Finals.

Although originally slated to play reserve grade last season, Kerwitz earned the call-up to Norths’ limited overs and two-day premiership-winning teams.

Kerwitz, 37, repeated that effort with his recent recall to the Norths top grade side giving him the chance to finish his career with another title in Norths’ Grand Final showdown with Rovers starting on Saturday.

"That would be brilliant," he said yesterday. "I’m lucky enough just to be playing in the finals, but to win would be extra special."

The all-rounder has been on the Cairns A grade scene since 1987, the first of his 10 seasons with Brothers before linking with Norths for the 1997-98 season when the Brethren folded.

The former Cricket Far North A grade player of the year also revealed yesterday he is 80-90 per cent blind in one eye, something he said was not widely known.

"A lot of people don’t realise that, even some of my teammates don’t know," he said

"I was in a car accident in 1987 and I was going to give it away but then I thought ‘No, I love the sport’."

Instead, the teenaged Kerwitz learned to adapt his game in the practice nets and was rewarded by making his A grade debut for Brothers that season.

Kerwitz said having a nucleus of half a dozen players who had played in Norths’ run of four successive premiership victories, meant the team knew what it took to win the big matches.

"We’ve had guys like Darren Lees, Christian Chapman and Tom Maher, who are just brilliant cricketers, in those sides," he said. "Without them, we’d be back where the other clubs are."

Despite that reassurance, Kerwitz said it would be dangerous to underestimate Rovers.

"They’re a tough team to play and they’ll be very keen to do well," he said.

"They’ve picked up a couple of good players this season and they’ve moulded well together. We’ve had some tough battles."

Having indulged his passion for cricket since moving with his family to Cairns from Nowra in 1983 as a 13-year-old, Kerwitz said the time was right to pull up stumps.

"I’ve been saying it for years but this is definitely the last (season)," he said.

"They say you know when it’s time and that’s certainly the case. The passion’s not there and I’m starting to get into the golf."

Kerwitz, who first took up the game aged eight in Bomaderry in 1978-79, said his most memorable moments included taking a
hat-trick with his first three deliveries in junior cricket.

He also treasured scoring a century in a reserve grade match in which his brother Keith posted his first ton and Norths’ four successive premierships.

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