Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Previous editions
Thursday, January 08, 2009
TADHG KENNELLY last night discounted suggestions of an immediate return to Kerry, despite claims yesterday that he is poised to quit Aussie Rules outfit, the Sydney Swans, "within weeks".
Kennelly, the only Irish man to win a Premiership medal in the AFL, spent Christmas at home in Listowel, and had discussions with new Kerry boss, Jack O’Connor, fuelling speculation of a dramatic return to Kerry colours for this year’s League and Championship.
One local report yesterday in The Kerryman newspaper claimed 28-year-old Kennelly met with Sydney Swans management earlier this week to formally end his contract, and is poised to return home within a fortnight.
He has made no secret of his desire to return to Kerry and emulate his late father Tim, and brother Noel in winning an All-Ireland SFC title with the county.
Kennelly last night issued a brief statement to the Irish Examiner clarifying his position.
"Rumours circulate every year when I go home. I am now back in Australia. I have returned to training with the Sydney Swans. I have a contract with the Swans until the end of 2009. That is all I will say at the moment."
The club’s website confirmed that he signed "a three-year contract in late August (2006) to ensure he remains in the red and white until the end of 2009."
However, hopes are growing in the Kingdom that he may return home before the end of the Aussie Rules season, and resume his gaelic football career. With Darragh Ó Sé yet to commit to another season with Kerry, Kennelly’s earlier-than-anticipated return would be a huge boost to the county’s efforts to regain the All-Ireland title.
Ó Sé is still mulling over his inter-county future, though there are hopes that he may postpone his retirement for 12 months.
Since heading to Australia in 1999, Kennelly has become one of Ireland’s most successful AFL exports playing 158 times for the Swans scoring 29 goals. In 2004 he became an Australian citizen and a year later the running half-back was a key figure in the Swan’s four-points Grand Final victory over the West Coast Eagles at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds.
He scored a rare goal in the Swans’ historic title win, the first for the club in 72 years and famously broke into a spontaneous Irish jig after receiving his medal.
However since then Kennelly has been dogged by a number of serious shoulder and knee injuries since which has curtailed his first team appearances. But last year he reiterated his ambition to return to his native county.
"I’m definitely going home next year to try to win an All-Ireland medal. I will always miss Aussie Rules and I won’t cut my ties to Australia, but I want to win an All-Ireland with Kerry. I would never have left the GAA if Gaelic football was professional and players were paid the same as in Aussie rules, but I hope that the GAA doesn’t try to pay its players professional wages. Aussie rules is a franchise business.... but Irish sport is completely different. In Ireland, players compete for their counties, their local clubs and their families. There is more passion and players are driven by a different culture."
Meanwhile Swans chiefs remain hopeful that Tyrone tyro Kyle Coney could yet return to Australia. Coney has a two-year rookie contract with the club and spent six weeks in pre-season training in Australia before returning home for Christmas. However earlier this week Coney revealed he was remaining in Ireland with the aim of playing football for Ardboe and Tyrone.
But a club spokesperson admitted that the door remained open to the 18-year-old should he change his mind. The spokesperson said: "We’re a bit disappointed that he’s not back in Australia already but we’re fully supportive of Kyle and his family because we understand that it’s a difficult decision to make for an 18-year-old. We are fully supportive and happy for him to take a bit of extra time to make up his mind and hopefully he ends up coming back to Australia to play for the Sydney Swans."
The GAA yesterday confirmed that they will meet with their AFL counterparts in the coming weeks. Top of the agenda will be the ongoing debate over player recruitment by Aussie Rules clubs.
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