The NAB Cup will get underway this weekend and Dockerland is throwing it's considerable weight behind the awareness campaign that is sweeping the city of Perth. This Friday is Clear Wristband Day where West Aussies are being encouraged to don a clear wristband to raise awareness for Daniel Kerr's unfair treatment off the ball. Forget Cancer, forget AIDS, forget any number of charities involving sick kids or poor people, Daniel Kerr being tagged has become the biggest problem facing the world today. The poor bastard can't walk onto a football ground without someone wanting to try and stop him from getting the ball. Most of the time it's just some verbal stuff and a bit of a shove but sometimes they go as far as bumping him or lightly tugging at his jumper. Some players even go as far as tackling young Kerry when he gets the ball (although, to be honest, it's been a while since he's given them the opportunity).

Clear Wristband Day is an initiative started by Dockerland in order to raise the profile of an issue which barely rates a mention in the public consciousness. Sometimes you can pick up a paper and only read two or three articles about Kerry's treatment. Channel 7 often don't mention Kerry's rough treatment until the second or third news item of a night. It's a serious issue and one which, if not addressed...further, could be the entire reason for the Eagles not winning the 2010 Premiership.

The AFL have decided to get involved, announcing that they will give boundary umpires - the blokes with an 80% accuracy rating for telling us whether the ball has gone over a line or not - the powers to hand out free kicks to Kerry if they see him getting touched off the ball in the pre-season competition, regardless of whether it is having any bearing on his attempts to resurrect his rapidly flailing career or not. This will bring to 9 the number of umpires which John Worsfold is expected to be able to blame for a loss in the post match interview.

Not since the days when John Worsfold pleaded for Chris Judd to stop being tagged, or Ben Cousins, or even going back to Dean Kemp, has someone been treated so unfairly by opposition defenders. Sure, the AFL have brought in several new umpires, declared defenders part of the axis of evil and made it pretty much impossible for a midfielder not to get a free kick at the centre bounce but we say they don't go far enough. Daniel Kerr is an ornament to the game. Barely in trouble with police, rarely caught forging things and hardly ever suspended for punching other bloke's in the nuts, he should be treated with more respect than to have to compete for his kicks on merit.

That's why it's important that we all support him in his endeavour to get even more favourable treatment. You can help support Kerry by wearing a clear Wristband this Friday. The clear wristbands, chosen because it represents the colour of Daniel's tears, are available all over Perth. All you need to do to get your wristband is simply sneak into the supply cupboard and your nearest hospital or doctors' surgery and grab how ever many you can carry after you've filled up on whatever controlled substances they have lying about. If you find that the hospital has your photo on file making it difficult for you to gain entry, you can also lurk around outside and wait for an outgoing patient to get into a taxi. Taxi drivers are easily spooked by something as simple as a car antenna so you should have no trouble stopping the vehicle and cutting the ex-patients ID tag free.

All proceeds raised from the on sale of the aforementioned controlled substances will go to pay off the umpires to look the other way when Kerry is forced to resort to defend himself the only way he knows how - punching someone in the nuts.