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Kennelly in Grand Final appearance?
by Enda Brady
 AUSSIE RULES star Tadhg Kennelly played a starring role last weekend as the Sydney Swans demolished the West Coast Eagles to reach the AFL semi-final against St Kilda. Kennelly has also been named in the recent Ireland International Rules squad for the games against Australia next month.
As his native Kerry prepare for another All-Ireland final, Kennelly hopes to be involved in his own Grand Final appearance before before jetting to Dublin.
Kennelly signed for Sydney Swans five years ago as a raw 18-year-old and is now one of the Australian Football League’s most consistent performers. He is now regarded as one of the country’s best sporting imports since Dubliner Jimmy Stynes took the AFL by storm almost a decade ago.
Kennelly was again in stunning form at the weekend at the former Olympic Stadium as the Swans destroyed the Perth-based West Coast Eagles and made their way into the AFL semi-final. The victory capped a marvellous week that saw him picked for Ireland again and his former Kerry team-mates reach yet another All-Ireland Final. Speaking to him in the aftermath of the Swans recent victory, Kennelly told The Irish Post
“Playing for Ireland feeds the hunger in me because I don’t get to play Gaelic football very often,” as he prepared for the short drive back to his Sydney home after a training session at the Telstra Stadium.
“I do have Australian citizenship but there was never a chance in the world that I would play against Ireland. Getting citizenship was something I wanted to do for my future.
“This is a strong and experienced Ireland panel and without a doubt we are good enough to win the series. I know Australia are bringing a very good squad and a few of their guys are nearing the end of their careers here so it will be their last chance to play for their country. It's going to be ultra-competitive.”
He admits to being somewhat surprised by the success of the so-called ‘smaller counties’ in this year’s Bank of Ireland All-Ireland series, though his faith in his native Kerry has never wavered.
“I’ve backed the boys all the way from the start and I’m delighted they’ve made it through. I have to say if you look at the run of games Mayo have had, they’ve had it tougher than Kerry and they’ve put away some quality teams.
Kennelly himself admits he has heard the rumours about him possibly making a sensational return to the Kerry squad but dismisses them instantly.
“That’s just mad speculation. I’ve a job to do out here for the Swans and anyway, I can’t just expect to walk into an All-Ireland Final. No chance.”
The AFL is also nearing its climax and the Swans have reached the last four. So what do Australians make of this straight-talking Kerryman?
Top Aussie broadcaster Steve Price, who appears on Channel 7’s popular Talking Footy Show, rates him as one of the “best 50 players in Australia”.
Price continued: “I have to say Tadhg Kennelly is very impressive indeed. He has this innate ability to keep the ball moving forward and that is something he surely got from his Gaelic days.
“He’s as good as we’ve seen from Ireland since Jim Stynes came over here. Tadhg has held his place in a team that could go all the way to the Grand Final and given that this is really only his second full season at the highest level he is doing superbly well.”
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