Retire ... Daniel Kerr is set to hang up the boots. Source: News Limited
WEST Coast Eagles star midfielder Daniel Kerr is finally set to confirm his retirement.
A meeting with new Eagles coach Adam Simpson early into the week is expected to formalise the 2006 premiership on-baller's departure.
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An announcement is imminent after 220 senior outings and a horrific injury run late into Kerr's highly accomplished career.
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Kerr, 30, had one more season to run on a lucrative contract but a pay-out agreement has been reached with Eagles management.
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He is believed to originally have made his decision to quit after a month of uncertainty before the surprise resignation of long serving Eagles coach and dual premiership captain John Worsfold.
Kerr's retirement had been set in motion after consultation with Worsfold at the end of the Eagles home-and-away season early last month when the veteran finished nursing nagging knee problems.
He managed just 10 senior appearances this season and last played in the Eagles gut-wrenching seven-point home ground loss to Essendon back in Round 14 in late June.
The gutsy in-and-under play-maker was dogged with serious hamstring, groin and knee problems since he was an imposing figure in the Eagles powerful midfield midway through last decade alongside champion on-ballers Dean Cox, Chris Judd and Ben Cousins.
At the height of his at times sublime talents Kerr finished in the top three of the Brownlow Medal as the game's highest individual honour in 2005 when Cousins won, a year later to Sydney superstar Adam Goodes and then when Geelong ace Jim Bartel took the coveted prize in '07.
But Kerr has been cruelled with injury over the past six seasons and managed just 76 appearances out of a possible 137 games.
His finest return in that troubled time of his career was last year when Kerr made it into all 24 engagements including finals against North Melbourne in Perth and Collingwood at the MCG to average around 23 disposals a game as he negotiated a contract extension to the end of 2014.
On-set of career-threatening knee troubles midway through this season prompted doubts on Kerr's future whether Worsfold would continue as Eagles coach or not.
Worsfold had constantly referred to Kerr's on-going injury woes and whether the champion follower could comply with the rigorous defensive running requirements of a modern day midfielder.
Kerr told a gathering of Eagles teammates of his plans to quit just days before Worsfold resigned.
Speculation then raged that Kerr might be extended an olive branch to play one more season if midfield coach Scott Burns had won the senior appointment.
Burns was overlooked when Simpson won the senior appointment late last week.
Kerr has continued to train at West Coast on a rehabilitation schedule with his knee problem and waiting for a decision on the Eagles appointment of a new coach.
He joins other Eagles 2006 premiership stars Andrew Embley and Adam Selwood, as well as Mark Nicoski and Ashton Hams in retirements from the Eagles playing roster.
Former Collingwood forward Brad Dick also quit last month after two seasons on the Eagles list but did not play a senior game.
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