It hurt - and "Aker" didn't enjoy it one bit.

The former Brisbane Lions and Bulldogs champion, pursuing his new career as a have-boots-will-travel gun for hire in minor football competitions, was made to earn his money the hard way when he turned out for Milawa against Tarrawingee in the Ovens and King League.

After kicking four goals in the Demons' 72-point thrashing of their fiercest rival, he accused the opposition of employing dirty tactics - including punching, backhanders and even kicking - every time he went for the ball.

"But what would you expect from the Bulldogs," he said, unable to resist yet another jibe at the AFL club that sacked him in such acrimonious circumstances.

"Any time we can beat the Bulldogs, I'll take great pleasure."

Akermanis, 33, was niggled from the first bounce of the rematch between the grand finalists of the past two years, but really came under the hammer when Tarrawingee's ruckman-sized Ryan O'Keefe poleaxed him with an old-fashioned rib (and head) rattler during the second quarter.

Play stopped for more than a minute while Akermanis slowly got back on his feet, gingerly feeling his face.

At halftime, he swallowed several painkillers, applied an ice pack and asked for a doctor, who examined his head while he lay on a bench, not taking the field with the rest of the team.

"This is not fun," he said ruefully.

After keeping an appointment to briefly address some Auskick kids, he finally resumed the game, but hardly touched the ball during the third quarter before regaining his composure in the last to finish with 13 kicks and five handballs. Akermanis called the shirtfront "a cheap shot" and "one of the weaker acts I have seen", saying he didn't have the ball.

Milawa coach Luke Sims also called it a cheap shot, and told the team at halftime: "Aker might only be playing one game for us but he's wearing our guernsey and we don't like that s---.

"Somebody has to sort (O'Keefe) out - or I'll do it myself."

Despite this emotional declaration of war, O'Keefe escaped unscathed and according to Akermanis was anything but apologetic as the teams shook hands after the final siren.

"He told me he was glad he cleaned me up," Akermanis said.

O'Keefe refused to speak to the Herald Sun but his coach Finton Eames vehemently denied there was any deliberate targeting of the famous superstar.

"I thought it was played in pretty good spirit - the boys were hard at it because we were playing Milawa and there's a fierce rivalry," Eames said.

"If that was thuggery then he hasn't played a lot of country footy because that was nothing."

Asked how his head was after the game, Akermanis said: "------- sore! It really hurt and my ear is still ringing.

"They played the man, we played the ball and if you play dirty you get rooked - and they did.

"If those boys think it's tough to play like that, I can tell them it isn't."

Despite the sour note, Milawa was delighted with it's one-off investment in bringing Akermanis to the tiny country Victorian wine town near Wangaratta. Not only was it a big success on the scoreboard - no game between the two clubs has had a margin greater than nine points for several years - but the crowd of about 2000 was three times the norm and so were the gate-takings of about $10,000 and food and drink sales.

Aker's package also included a meet-and-greet at a sports store owned by Sims, a sportsman's night last night in Wangaratta and golf with the highest bidder today.

Neither Milawa president Trevor Hourigan nor Akermanis would disclose the playing fee, but it was four figures - and the club recouped it with extra sponsorship. And importantly the Demons won 23.9 (147) to 10.15 (75).

The team wore specially struck guernseys with "Aker" on the back and the names of a couple of businesses which would expect to profit from increased Easter traffic.

The O&K League agreed to switch the match from round nine so it would fit into a vacancy created by Tasmanian club Glenorchy, with whom Akermanis is playing regularly, having a bye.

Glenorchy cleared him to Milawa last week and he will be cleared back tomorrow, but he is also planning similar one-off forays with Coolangatta, Heywood and Aberfeldie, meaning he will play in five leagues this season.

It is a novel but artificial and therefore potentially controversial concept and it will be interesting to see whether the AFL allows it to continue.

If so, it will be no surprise if the next batch of retirees from the big league produces some copycats, sensing the chance to earn money without having to move to the bush, or commit to training and other obligations.

Akermanis says he is doing it not for the money but the challenge - and the goodwill. Perhaps he believes his image needs some remedial work.

"I'm always being accused of being an individual and it drives me nuts," he said. "I'm sick of the crap politics in the AFL - let's put something back into the game."

By Ron Reed

Article first appeared The Sunday Herald Sun, April 24 2011