Tadhg Kennelly
Encyclopedia
Tadhg Kennelly is an Irish sportsperson known for his top level careers in both Gaelic football
and Australian rules football
.
Kennelly grew up playing Gaelic football in Kerry, but moved to Australia to play professional Australian rules football
in the Australian Football League
. He is best known in Australia
as the first Irish-born player to have received an AFL Premiership medallion and the first AFL player to represent Ireland against Australia in International Rules Series
. He is the second most experienced player (after Jim Stynes
) to be associated with the Irish experiment
.
Kennelly returned to his native Kerry to play in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2009
. On 20 September 2009 he started the 2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
as part of Kerry's All-Ireland winning side, scoring two points in the final and thus becoming the first person to win an AFL Premiership and a Senior All-Ireland Championship. After achieving his dream, he returned to the AFL to play for Sydney, after missing one season.
, a former All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
winner with Kerry
. In Australia, Kennelly's first name, Tadhg
in the Irish language
, is often mispronounced as "Tie" or misspelt Tadgh, but is in fact correctly pronounced quite similarly to the first three letters of tiger and spelt with the h before the g.
Tadhg grew up playing Gaelic football and was recognised as a highly talented underage player with Kerry GAA
.
His underage achievements include being on the Kerry underage squads that won the Munster Minor Football Championship in 1998 and Munster U21 Championship in 1999.
After his debut in 2001 (following elevation from the rookie list
), he became a permanent fixture in the Sydney line-up as a dashing rebound defender, wearing the number 17 guernsey.
Kennelly earned an AFL Rising Star nomination in round 19 of 2002, consolidating his reputation as an upcoming young talent.
He was second (behind Leo Barry
) for rebound
s (77) from the defensive 50-metre arc
in 2004. Tadhg became a high-profile member of the Swans outfit, well known for his exciting play, his nationality and his "Talking With Tadhg" articles on the Swans' website.
that year. He was reportedly earning $750,000 (350,000 Euro), while playing for the Sydney Swans. The hype in Australia surrounding Kennelly's appearance in the AFL Grand Final
was so much that Network Ten
sent out its usual game-day boundary rider, Andrew Maher
, over to County Kerry
to visit Tadhg's family for the week and watch the Grand Final with them. Kennelly also appeared in the 2006 Grand Final, but the Swans lost 85–84 to the West Coast Eagles
.
, causing an anterior cruciate ligament
tear and seeing him miss several matches and later matches due to complications. In 2008, he again injured his knee, dislocating his knee cap and injuring his shoulder.
He was selected in the Dream Team
for the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
, but later withdrew due to injury. He was quick to recover, however, and made an appearance for the Swans the following week, though again succumbed to the injury curse.
During the rest of 2008, Kennelly's shoulder continually dislocated during games and his unorthodox methods of popping it back in was the subject of much media interest.
On several occasions during his AFL career, Kennelly had expressed a desire to return home to Ireland and leave the AFL
, as he would like to emulate the success of his father and win an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
medal with his native county's team, Kerry
.
In December 2005, Kennelly's father Tim
died suddenly at age 51. It is believed his father's death may have some bearing on Kennelly's wish to return to Ireland.
On the last day of August 2006, Kennelly ended months of speculation by announcing he would be staying on with the Swans for a further three years. Kennelly said that this would be his last AFL contract and that he would be returning to Ireland at the end of the three year contract. In March 2008, Kennelly was reported to have announced that he would "definitely" return to Ireland in 2009 to play with Kerry, saying "I want to win an All-Ireland with Kerry." Kennelly announced his return to Ireland and Gaelic football in January 2009.
He played his first competitive game for the Kerry Senior team on 8 March 2009 when he came on as a substitute in the NFL
against Derry
, and there was speculation that he would be a member of the Kerry squad for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
. He went on to win a National Football League
medal when Kerry
beat Derry
in the final in Croke Park
. As Kerry had a number of injuries meaning that Darragh Ó Sé
, Anthony Maher
, Séamus Scanlon
and Kieran Donaghy
were all short of full fitness, Kennelly played in Kerry's first two games of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
in June. He picked up an injury during the qualifier series but his form continued to improve and after an impressive appearance as a substitute in the All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin, he broke into to the starting team for the semi-final in which Kerry beat Meath. On 20 September 2009 he played the first 50 minutes of the All-Ireland final, scoring 2 points and becoming the first person to win an AFL premiership and an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
.
After the final Kennelly committed himself to the Kerry football team for the 2010 season, despite speculation that he was returning to Australia.
In July 2009 Mercier Press secured the right to his autobiography, which was subsequently published in October 2009.
In this book he admitted to setting out to make his mark at the start of the All-Ireland.
In this case it was Nicolas Murphy who got Kennelly's shoulder on his chin.
The actual passage reads:
As we got to our positions I looked across at Galvin, who nodded, and then positioned myself on the line ready to race in when the referee put the ball in the air. My eyes were almost rolling around in the back of my head. I was raging like a bull. We are a totally fucking different animal. After a few strides I knew I'd timed it right. Cork's Nicholas Murphy had just turned in slightly towards me which opened the way for my shoulder to catch him perfectly on the chin.Cop that. It's different this time,boys. He went down and referee Marty Duffy immediately blew his whistle. "Oh, c'mon," I said to the referee, "that's not even a free kick." Cork got the free but I'd got my man. While I hadn't wanted to come in and seriously injure anyone, I was determined to make a statement and I think I just achieved that.
After a big backlash, Kennelly released a statement where he stated he was taken out of context by his ghost writer.
His standing in Gaelic Games was blemished since he admitted his act of dirty play.
In November 2009, Kennelly informed the Kerry county board of his intention to return to the AFL in 2010.
Kennelly played his final AFL game in 's semi-final defeat to on 16 September 2011. He bows out of the game having played 197 AFL games.
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
and Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
.
Kennelly grew up playing Gaelic football in Kerry, but moved to Australia to play professional Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. He is best known in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as the first Irish-born player to have received an AFL Premiership medallion and the first AFL player to represent Ireland against Australia in International Rules Series
International Rules Series
The International Rules Series is a senior men's International rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team...
. He is the second most experienced player (after Jim Stynes
Jim Stynes
James "Jim" Stynes OAM is an Irish former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a businessman, philanthropist, writer, youth worker, qualified teacher and chairman of Melbourne Football Club since 2008....
) to be associated with the Irish experiment
Irish experiment
The Irish Experiment is the popular name for the interest, primarily from VFL/AFL clubs, in bringing Irish sportspeople to Australia to play Australian Rules Football professionally ....
.
Kennelly returned to his native Kerry to play in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2009
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2009
The 2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship is the inter-county Gaelic football tournament played between 31 counties of Ireland, London and New York. The draw for the 2009 championship took place on October 9, 2008. The tournament kicked off on May 10, 2009...
. On 20 September 2009 he started the 2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
The 2009 All-Ireland Football Final was the 122nd All-Ireland Final and the last football match of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2009 played between Cork and Kerry on 20 September 2009 in Croke Park, Dublin. Kerry won by a score of 0-16 to 1-09. It was their 36th All-Ireland SFC...
as part of Kerry's All-Ireland winning side, scoring two points in the final and thus becoming the first person to win an AFL Premiership and a Senior All-Ireland Championship. After achieving his dream, he returned to the AFL to play for Sydney, after missing one season.
Early life
Kennelly was born in Listowel in 1981 to mother Nuala and father Tim KennellyTim Kennelly
Tim ‘the Horse’ Kennelly was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Listowel Emmets and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1975 until 1984. Kennelly captained Kerry to the All-Ireland title in 1979.-Biography:Tim Kennelly was born in Listowel,...
, a former All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
winner with Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
. In Australia, Kennelly's first name, Tadhg
Tadhg
Tadhg ,often Anglicized as Teague and sometimes as Tim, is an Irish and Scottish Gaelic boy's name that was very common in the past. This was also the name of an 11th-century king of Connacht....
in the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
, is often mispronounced as "Tie" or misspelt Tadgh, but is in fact correctly pronounced quite similarly to the first three letters of tiger and spelt with the h before the g.
Tadhg grew up playing Gaelic football and was recognised as a highly talented underage player with Kerry GAA
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
.
His underage achievements include being on the Kerry underage squads that won the Munster Minor Football Championship in 1998 and Munster U21 Championship in 1999.
Move to Australia and AFL career 2001–2004
In 1999, he signed a rookie contract with the Sydney Swans.After his debut in 2001 (following elevation from the rookie list
AFL Draft
The AFL Draft is the annual draft of new unsigned players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.-History:...
), he became a permanent fixture in the Sydney line-up as a dashing rebound defender, wearing the number 17 guernsey.
Kennelly earned an AFL Rising Star nomination in round 19 of 2002, consolidating his reputation as an upcoming young talent.
He was second (behind Leo Barry
Leo Barry
Leo Barry is a retired Australian rules footballer in the AFL with the Sydney Swans.Originally from Deniliquin, New South Wales, he attended St Ignatius' College, Riverview before being drafted as a zone selection in the 1994 National Draft and making his debut in the final round of the 1995...
) for rebound
Rebound (sports)
Rebound is a term used in sports to describe the ball becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful...
s (77) from the defensive 50-metre arc
50-metre arc
In Australian rules football, the 50-metre arc is one of the arcs that exist at each end of the ground, 50m from the goal line...
in 2004. Tadhg became a high-profile member of the Swans outfit, well known for his exciting play, his nationality and his "Talking With Tadhg" articles on the Swans' website.
Swans Premiership year
Kennelly became the first Irishman to win an AFL Premiership medal in 2005, after playing all 26 games for the Sydney SwansSydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
that year. He was reportedly earning $750,000 (350,000 Euro), while playing for the Sydney Swans. The hype in Australia surrounding Kennelly's appearance in the AFL Grand Final
2005 AFL Grand Final
The 2005 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 24 September 2005. It was the 109th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, staged to...
was so much that Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
sent out its usual game-day boundary rider, Andrew Maher
Andrew Maher
Andrew Maher is an Australian journalist and television presenter. He is best known for covering Australian rules football for the Seven and Ten television networks. He has also worked in television and radio....
, over to County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
to visit Tadhg's family for the week and watch the Grand Final with them. Kennelly also appeared in the 2006 Grand Final, but the Swans lost 85–84 to the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
.
AFL 2006–2008
In 2007 and 2008 after several seasons missing only a handful of games, Kennelly suffered a series of serious leg and shoulder injuries which became major setbacks to his AFL career. His knee buckled from a heavy tackle from the Melbourne Demons' Byron PickettByron Pickett
Byron Pickett is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with three clubs in the AFL. He was known as a big game player as well as for his strength, hard bumps and tough approach to the game. Pickett is one of 12 players with two premiership medallions, a Norm Smith Medal...
, causing an anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
tear and seeing him miss several matches and later matches due to complications. In 2008, he again injured his knee, dislocating his knee cap and injuring his shoulder.
He was selected in the Dream Team
Dream Team Australian rules football team
The Dream Team was an AFL representative team created to take part in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match against a Victorian representative team....
for the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
The AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match was a one-off all-star game between two representative sides organised by the Australian Football League to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Australian rules football....
, but later withdrew due to injury. He was quick to recover, however, and made an appearance for the Swans the following week, though again succumbed to the injury curse.
During the rest of 2008, Kennelly's shoulder continually dislocated during games and his unorthodox methods of popping it back in was the subject of much media interest.
On several occasions during his AFL career, Kennelly had expressed a desire to return home to Ireland and leave the AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
, as he would like to emulate the success of his father and win an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
medal with his native county's team, Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
.
In December 2005, Kennelly's father Tim
Tim Kennelly
Tim ‘the Horse’ Kennelly was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Listowel Emmets and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1975 until 1984. Kennelly captained Kerry to the All-Ireland title in 1979.-Biography:Tim Kennelly was born in Listowel,...
died suddenly at age 51. It is believed his father's death may have some bearing on Kennelly's wish to return to Ireland.
On the last day of August 2006, Kennelly ended months of speculation by announcing he would be staying on with the Swans for a further three years. Kennelly said that this would be his last AFL contract and that he would be returning to Ireland at the end of the three year contract. In March 2008, Kennelly was reported to have announced that he would "definitely" return to Ireland in 2009 to play with Kerry, saying "I want to win an All-Ireland with Kerry." Kennelly announced his return to Ireland and Gaelic football in January 2009.
Return to Ireland and All-Ireland Title
Upon returning to Kerry, Kenelly was given a job as a coaching officer by the Kerry County Board.He played his first competitive game for the Kerry Senior team on 8 March 2009 when he came on as a substitute in the NFL
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
against Derry
Derry GAA
The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry...
, and there was speculation that he would be a member of the Kerry squad for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
. He went on to win a National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
medal when Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
beat Derry
Derry GAA
The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry...
in the final in Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
. As Kerry had a number of injuries meaning that Darragh Ó Sé
Darragh Ó Sé
Darragh Ó Sé is a former Irish sportsperson. He plays Gaelic football with his local club An Ghaeltacht and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1994 until 2009. Ó Sé has made more championship appearances than any other player in the history of the game...
, Anthony Maher
Anthony Maher (footballer)
Anthony Maher; is a Gaelic footballer from Duagh, County Kerry, in Ireland. He plays for the Duagh GAA club, Feale Rangers divisional side and Kerry senior football team.-Club football career:...
, Séamus Scanlon
Séamus Scanlon
Séamus 'Moosey' Scanlon is an Irish Gaelic footballer with the Currow club, the St. Kieran's divisional team and the Kerry county team. He first came on the Kerry senior scene in 2002 under the management of Páidí Ó Sé...
and Kieran Donaghy
Kieran Donaghy
Kieran Donaghy is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Kerry. Donaghy has won three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals, two Munster Championships and a National League title with the county. He has also been awarded two All Stars.He plays his club football for Austin Stacks in...
were all short of full fitness, Kennelly played in Kerry's first two games of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
in June. He picked up an injury during the qualifier series but his form continued to improve and after an impressive appearance as a substitute in the All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin, he broke into to the starting team for the semi-final in which Kerry beat Meath. On 20 September 2009 he played the first 50 minutes of the All-Ireland final, scoring 2 points and becoming the first person to win an AFL premiership and an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
.
After the final Kennelly committed himself to the Kerry football team for the 2010 season, despite speculation that he was returning to Australia.
In July 2009 Mercier Press secured the right to his autobiography, which was subsequently published in October 2009.
In this book he admitted to setting out to make his mark at the start of the All-Ireland.
In this case it was Nicolas Murphy who got Kennelly's shoulder on his chin.
The actual passage reads:
As we got to our positions I looked across at Galvin, who nodded, and then positioned myself on the line ready to race in when the referee put the ball in the air. My eyes were almost rolling around in the back of my head. I was raging like a bull. We are a totally fucking different animal. After a few strides I knew I'd timed it right. Cork's Nicholas Murphy had just turned in slightly towards me which opened the way for my shoulder to catch him perfectly on the chin.Cop that. It's different this time,boys. He went down and referee Marty Duffy immediately blew his whistle. "Oh, c'mon," I said to the referee, "that's not even a free kick." Cork got the free but I'd got my man. While I hadn't wanted to come in and seriously injure anyone, I was determined to make a statement and I think I just achieved that.
After a big backlash, Kennelly released a statement where he stated he was taken out of context by his ghost writer.
His standing in Gaelic Games was blemished since he admitted his act of dirty play.
In November 2009, Kennelly informed the Kerry county board of his intention to return to the AFL in 2010.
Return to Australia
On 12 November 2009, Kennelly signed a two year deal with the Sydney Swans, marking his return to the AFL. In addition to his playing role, he will take up a coaching role at the club. He was very consistent throughout the year playing in his customary role off half back. He was chosen in the Irish squad for the International Series in October.Kennelly played his final AFL game in 's semi-final defeat to on 16 September 2011. He bows out of the game having played 197 AFL games.
See also
- Players who have converted from one football code to anotherPlayers who have converted from one football code to anotherThere are many players who have converted from one football code to another or even changed from other sports at a professional or representational level....
- The Irish ExperimentIrish experimentThe Irish Experiment is the popular name for the interest, primarily from VFL/AFL clubs, in bringing Irish sportspeople to Australia to play Australian Rules Football professionally ....