It will be a special day for the Surrey clan, especially Kayde when Beechworth hosts Yackandandah on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Kayde is set to become the third Surrey and join his father, Philip, and older brother, Brenton, in the 200-match milestone club at the Bushrangers.
Phil played 220-odd senior matches while Brenton cracked the magical 300-match milestone earlier this year.
Kayde said it would be a proud moment personally to join his father and brother in the exclusive club and an equally proud achievement for the close-knit family.
"It feels special to me," Surrey said.
"It's taken a fair old journey to get this far but I'm certainly excited about the milestone and looking forward to Saturday.
"The club has been a big part of my life now for a long time.
"Not just me but also my old man, Philip, my brother Brenton and our sisters.
"To play more than 700-matches combined is something that we are proud of as a family.
"I said to Brenton recently before his 300th, that he is the No. 1 bloke that I enjoy running around the football field with.
"Not just now but for most of my football career."
The Surrey siblings not only boast 500 plus matches between them but an amazing 10 best and fairests combined, with five each.
Kayde produced an ultra-consistent run of stellar form from 2015 to 2021 where he won five of the six clubs best and fairests.
Only Lee Dale in 2016 and COVID in 2020 was able to stop his golden run of form.
Despite being a highly-decorated Bushranger, Surrey shuns the spotlight and lets his football do the talking which his teammates will vouch for.
"I've never really liked talking to the media or anything like that and I much prefer to mind my own business and do what I do," he said.
"I don't need to tell anyone about it."
Surrey said it was easy to pinpoint his career highlight after playing in the Bushrangers most recent flag in 2010 alongside his brother against Yackandandah.
Ironically, they face the Roos on the weekend in the biggest home and away match between the pair since that year with the minor premiership and flag favouritism up for grabs for the winner.
"The 2010 flag is a special memory," he said.
"Especially being such a young group, chock-full of local talent."
Surrey would be closer to emulating his brother playing 300-matches except for a stint with Wangaratta in the O&M for 30-matches and a couple of shoulder reconstructions.
"I enjoyed my time in the O&M and the challenge of playing at a higher standard and the professionalism," he said.
"I had Judd Porter initially as coach and then Mark Knobel and I really enjoyed my time under Mark.
"I rate Mark as the best coach I've had in the way he got his message across and the way he helped my development.
"Some of the advice he gave me was special and has stuck with me throughout my career.
"In saying that I've enjoyed all the coaches I've had and all of them have had an influence on me."
Surrey attracted the attention of recruiters during his time at Norm Minns Oval and was invited to do a pre-season with Collingwood's VFL side 2011.
"My time at Collingwood was short and sweet," he said.
"I did a pre-season with the Magpies and was coming off my first shoulder reconstruction.
"The feedback I got was that I wasn't big enough or strong enough to play a key position in the VFL."
While Surrey may have lacked the size of other key defenders in the VFL, he has forged a reputation as one of the premier defenders in the TDFL.
He is also among the premier players.
Surrey regards Guy Telford, Mark Doolan and Kaine Parsons as the most talented forwards he has crossed paths with in the TDFL.
His finals series in 2022 had to be seen to be believed with many spectators leaving Sandy Creek shaking their heads in disbelief how dominant Surrey was in defence.
Unfortunately for the Bushrangers, Surrey didn't reach the same heights last year after missing nine rounds in the lead-up to finals with a wrist injury and were bundled out in straight sets.
Not only is Surrey talented but he is also fiercely loyal.
Surrey revealed he cut short his time in the O&M to return to Beechworth who were struggling and the whipping boys of the competition.
"I was keen to get back to Beechworth because they were going through a bit of a lean patch," he said.
"It was hard to watch the boys be on the wrong side of a few hefty losses while I was away.
"Brenton also took over as coach during one of the lean years and I wanted to support him and the club as much as I could."
Surrey, 33, still enjoys playing each weekend and admits he is surprised that the Bushrangers are ladder leaders after 12 rounds with an 11-1 record.
He said it was the Bushrangers young brigade that had been instrumental in their lofty standing with some of the younger players like Connor Stone, Cam Fendyk and Degan Dolny stars of the competition.
Surrey said times have changed before and after matches now with the younger players bringing their own boom box to pump out the tunes pre and post-match.
"I used to like to sit down and read the paper before matches but not anymore," he said.
"Liam Stephens brings this big boom box to every match and pumps out the tunes which I will admit I've never heard before.
"It gets the young blokes up and about and there is a really good vibe amongst the playing group.
"I think last year we had a few more bigger names in the side and quite a few travellers but probably didn't gel as well as we had hoped.
"But this year we have got predominantly locals and we spend a lot more time together and things seem to be clicking.
"I think our recent record at Sandy Creek the past two years is one win from five matches.
"But I definitely feel we have got a side better suited to playing there and we have proven so far we can match any side in the competition this year."
