Editor’s Desk: Memo to Mid West footy powerbrokers - please make Josh Kennedy’s Northampton reunion happen

It’s already been hyped, flagged and wished for — footy manna from heaven for local fans.

If powerbrokers in the Mid West footy scene aren’t already working how to make a homecoming game for Josh Kennedy happen, then they should hurry and hop to it.

But why just stop at Kennedy? Why not try to create a spectacle this region has never been seen before and bring in other local famous faces?

It could happen. In his pre-retirement press conference, Kennedy hinted he could up for a return playing for the Rams, alongside his junior footy mate, Harry Taylor, as well as taking the field again with best mate Mark LeCras, who is still in fine form this year for Cervantes, booting 15 goals in one game alone. Taylor is now working at Geelong, but has still made the occasional trip back home to play for the Rams this season.

“Harry Taylor made me promise him that we’d have a game together in Northampton, regardless of when that is,” Kennedy said.

“He’s obviously working at Geelong at the moment but he does come back a fair bit so I assume there will be one game, I owe him a game in Northampton, so we’ll see how the knee goes.

“With Lecca, we’ve always said that if he comes and plays for Northampton, I’ll come and play a couple of games for Cervantes.

“We’ll see how the body goes over the next few years but I’d love to play with Lecca one more time, whether that’s for Northampton or Cervantes.”

The opportunity is ripe for the picking. Imagine the crowd who would be desperate to turn out to a game like that? It could be an unprecedented turnout.

Whether it would be a Northampton versus Cervantes exhibition match, or a bona fide GNFL match involving Northampton, fans wouldn’t care. The chance to see Kennedy running around again where it all began would be all the promotion needed.

Fellow Northampton AFL export Paul Hasleby told the Guardian he would be up for any chance to return home and play for Northampton alongside Kennedy.

So, why not aim big? Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a Northampton versus all-star Mid West team exhibition match? The tiny hamlet of Northampton, widely touted as one of the State’s best footy factories, versus the rest of the region.

If it was off-season, perhaps you could attract current players like Patrick and Jamie Cripps, Paddy Ryder, Jack Martin, Jack Carroll, Liam Ryan, Logan McDonald as well as the best of the best of past players willing and able to run onto the field.

If or when anything happens, you get the sense that if JK is on board with it, then that will attract a slew of other big names to be part of any reunion event.

And just like Northampton’s best success stories have never forgotten where they came from and have leant their support to their hometown when it really counted, namely cyclone Seroja recovery efforts, whatever ends up happening could be a massive fundraising event for the region as well.

If the stars align, it would be a massive moment for the Mid West and one that could let us truly celebrate how damn good we are at producing elite footy talent.

So c’mon JK, we’ll let you settle into retirement and get your knee right, but we can’t wait to see you running around in the green and gold after so many decades. Talk about a full circle moment.