In what was a great experiment in AFL ranks to import players from abroad to play our game, Sydney’s Irish defender Tadhg Kennelly has recently announced his retirement effective from the end of the Swans’ current AFL campaign.
The 30-year-old, who announced his decision on Thursday morning, has been one of the most successful converts to emerge from AFL’s association with Gaelic football.
From 2001, Kennelly has played 194 senior games including winning the Swams premiership in 2005. He took a gap year in 2009, returned to Ireland and won an All-Ireland medal playing Gaelic Football with County Kerry.
Kennelly, then returned to the Swans for the last two seasons. Tadhg Kennelly is looking forward to his last AFL finals series.
Another great, Barry Hall, has decided to hang up his boots as well. Hall is considered to be one of the best forwards of the modern era, captaining the Sydney Swans to their 2005 AFL Grand Final victory. Nicknamed ‘Big Bad’ for his on-field temper, Barry Hall became the first player to kick 100 goals for three different AFL teams.
He began his career at St Kilda Football Club where he twice led the club’s goal-kicking in 1999 and 2001. He then became one of the Sydney Swans best players and topped the club’s goal-kicking from 2002 to 2008. Following an on field altercation which saw him suspended for a number of matches, Hall also found a new home in the Western Bulldogs. The in-form Hall booted five goals in his farewell appearance to help the Bulldogs crush Fremantle by 46 points.
…..AND SOME COMEBACKS! News hot off the line is that Chad Cornes and Dean Brogan, just terminated by Port Adelaide, have both been signed up by the Greater Western Sydney Giants on one year contracts- If you ask coach Kevin Sheedy, he knows nothing about it, just, “Seagulls and aliens!”