Joshua J. Kennedy (born 25 August 1987) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football L ...

in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for Carlton from 2006 to 2007 and is regarded as one of the best key-forwards of his generation. Kennedy is originally from Melbourne but grew up in

Northampton, Western Australia Northampton is a town north of Geraldton, in the Mid West region of Western Australia. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 868.The town contains a National Trust building. The town lies on the North West Coastal Highway. Originally ...

. He played football for

East Fremantle East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

in the

West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September ...

(WAFL) before being drafted to Carlton with the fourth pick in the 2005 National Draft. After two seasons at Carlton, he was traded to West Coast at the end of the 2007 season as part of a deal involving club captain

Chris Judd Christopher Dylan Judd (born 8 September 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer and captain of both the West Coast Eagles and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Widely regarded as one of the bes ...

. Kennedy soon established himself as West Coast's leading key forward. He has led the club goalkicking six times, firstly in 2011 and then in five consecutive seasons from 2013 onwards. In 2014, he briefly served as acting co-captain following the retirement of Darren Glass. Kennedy won consecutive

Coleman Medal The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve. Goal may also refer ...

s in 2015 and 2016 as the league's leading goalkicker, and was runner-up in 2017. He was also named in the

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...

in each of those years. In 2022, Kennedy kicked his 700th goal, becoming the first Eagles player to reach the milestone.

Early life and junior career

Kennedy was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, and grew up in Canberra,

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

, and

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, with his family finally settling in Northampton, a small country town north of

Geraldton Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

.Matt Burgan (2005). "It's AFL, not NBL for Kennedy" – Australian Football League. Published 29 September 2005. Retrieved fro
One Eyed Richmond
4 August 2013. His parents, Jenny Peterson and

Jamie Kennedy James Harvey Kennedy (born May 25, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He has played Randy Meeks in the ''Scream'' franchise (1996–2000) and a multitude of characters in '' The Jamie Kennedy Experiment'' (2002–2004) on The WB. His oth ...

, both played basketball professionally in the Women's National Basketball League and National Basketball League, respectively, having first met as scholarship holders at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). Kennedy played both football and basketball growing up, and he represented Western Australia's state under-16 basketball team. He later concentrated on football, playing for Northampton in the Great Northern Football League (GNFL). Kennedy played for the state football team at both under-16 and under-18 level, and he was named in the under-18 All-Australian team at conclusion of the 2005 AFL Under-18 Championships. He had attended the AIS/AFL Academy in Canberra the previous year, and toured Ireland with an academy side, playing several

international rules International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed ...

matches, and thus became the first child of two previous AIS scholarship holders to also attend the institute. With Northampton falling into the recruitment zone of the Perth-based East Fremantle Football Club, Kennedy made his senior (WAFL) debut during the 2005 season, finishing with six goals from six games.Joshua KENNEDY (East Fremantle)
– West Australian Football League. Retrieved 4 August 2013. He was selected by Carlton with pick four in the 2005 National Draft, held in November 2005.

Senior career

In 2006, Kennedy showed promises that he could be a future key-position forward, having made his debut in Round 6. However, he struggled for ground time and form when playing at AFL level, scoring only 5.4 from his nine games. In Carlton's , the

Northern Bullants The Preston Football Club, which trades and plays as the Northern Bullants, is a long-established Australian rules football club based in Preston that plays in the Victorian Football League (VFL). It plays its home games at the Preston City Ov ...

, he found it easier to show his skills with eighteen goals for the season. In 2007, Kennedy committed to a new 2-year contract with the

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Me ...

. However, on 11 October, it was announced that he had agreed to instead return to his native state and play for the West Coast Eagles, thus enabling Carlton to secure the services of top midfielder Chris Judd in a trade. On 26 April 2008, Kennedy, wearing number 17, made his debut for the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

. In Round 9, 2011, Kennedy kicked ten goals against the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

, becoming just the fourth Eagle (after Scott Cummings, Peter Sumich and Mark LeCras) to kick ten goals in a game. After playing in struggling teams at the start of his career – four of Kennedy's first six seasons resulted in bottom two finishes, including two wooden spoons, one each at Carlton and West Coast respectively, Kennedy made his first finals appearance in 2011. Kennedy won only 14 of the first 67 matches of his career. However his record has since improved; as of the end of 2012, he has won 23 of his last 32 matches to have a career win-draw-loss record of 37–1–61. In the 2013 AFL season, Kennedy was in front of the Coleman Medal nearly every week. But with the Eagles losing their last three games by an average margin of 71 points and Kennedy being goal-less in each of them, he lost his chance of winning the medal. On 30 March 2014, Kennedy played his 100th game for the Eagles, kicking four goals and one behind in a 93-point thrashing of Melbourne at the MCG. In Round 8, 2014, Kennedy bagged 11 goals straight in a 111-point win over the

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

. He would then go on to kick bags of 7 and 8 both against the Suns. He finished the year with 61 goals. After Darren Glass retired midway through the season, Kennedy was named acting co-captain of the club for the remainder of 2014, along with four other players. On 10 April 2015, Kennedy kicked 10 goals again against Carlton. It was the third time that he brought up the double figures, kicking 6 of his 10 goals in the third quarter. His tenth goal for the night was also his 300th for his career. At the end of the Home and Away season, Kennedy finished with 75 goals and became the second West Coast player to win the Coleman Medal. On 21 May 2016, after kicking 5 goals in the previous match, Kennedy bagged 7 goals against Port Adelaide to bring his career tally to 400 goals. He went on to secure back to back Coleman Medals in the same year, scoring a total of 82 goals. Kennedy kicked his 500th career goal in Round 20 of the 2017 AFL season. He then kicked his 500th goal for West Coast two weeks later in Round 22, becoming only the second player in club history to do so (after Peter Sumich). On 29 April 2018, Kennedy became West Coast's all-time leading goalkicker, overtaking Sumich with his 515th goal for the Eagles during the

Western Derby The Western Derby () is the name given to the Australian rules football match between the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, who both participate in the Australian Football League (AFL). As both teams are based in Perth, the capit ...

. Kennedy scored three goals in West Coast's 2018 premiership win. In July 2022, Kennedy kicked his 700th goal for West Coast against Carlton, and a month later announced his retirement from the AFL. Kennedy decided to make his final game a home game in the Round 21 match against

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

on Sunday, August 7, 2022. Despite Adelaide winning by 16 points, Kennedy recorded an 8-goal and 2 behinds haul and was chaired off to a standing ovation and a guard of honour by both teams. In a gesture of appreciation, Kennedy personally shook the hands of the entire Adelaide team, including their entire on-field support staff.

Statistics

: ''Statistics are correct to the end of the 2021 season'' , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2006 , style="text-align:center;", , 5 , , 9 , , 5 , , 4 , , 36 , , 16 , , 52 , , 32 , , 11 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 4.0 , , 1.8 , , 5.8 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2007 , style="text-align:center;", , 5 , , 13 , , 6 , , 5 , , 57 , , 40 , , 97 , , 50 , , 27 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 4.4 , , 3.1 , , 7.5 , , 3.8 , , 2.1 , , 0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 7 , , 7 , , 4 , , 55 , , 34 , , 89 , , 46 , , 7 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 7.9 , , 4.9 , , 12.7 , , 6.6 , , 1.0 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2009 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 16 , , 31 , , 17 , , 150 , , 52 , , 202 , , 110 , , 28 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 9.4 , , 3.3 , , 12.6 , , 6.9 , , 1.8 , , 0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2010 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 22 , , 41 , , 19 , , 199 , , 61 , , 260 , , 130 , , 60 , , 1.9 , , 0.9 , , 9.0 , , 2.8 , , 11.8 , , 5.9 , , 2.7 , , 3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2011 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 23 , , 59 , , 38 , , 208 , , 62 , , 270 , , 144 , , 70 , , 2.6 , , 1.7 , , 9.0 , , 2.7 , , 11.7 , , 6.3 , , 3.0 , , 4 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 9 , , 18 , , 14 , , 58 , , 16 , , 74 , , 43 , , 13 , , 2.0 , , 1.6 , , 6.4 , , 1.8 , , 8.2 , , 4.8 , , 1.4 , , 3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 21 , , 60 , , 23 , , 210 , , 63 , , 273 , , 143 , , 69 , , 2.9 , , 1.1 , , 10.0 , , 3.0 , , 13.0 , , 6.8 , , 3.3 , , 6 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 20 , , 61 , , 33 , , 175 , , 51 , , 226 , , 114 , , 62 , , 3.1 , , 1.7 , , 8.8 , , 2.6 , , 11.3 , , 5.7 , , 3.1 , , 11 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2015 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 25 , , style="background:#CAE1FF; width:1em" , 80^† , , style="background:#CAE1FF; width:1em" , 55^† , , 241 , , 92 , , 333 , , 168 , , 52 , , style="background:#CAE1FF; width:1em" , 3.2^† , , style="background:#CAE1FF; width:1em" , 2.2^† , , 9.6 , , 3.7 , , 13.3 , , 6.7 , , 2.1 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 23, , style="background:#CAE1FF; width:1em" , 82^† , , 37 , , 229 , , 71 , , 300 , , 148 , , 69 , , style="background:#CAE1FF; width:1em" , 3.6^† , , 1.6 , , 9.9 , , 3.0 , , 12.9 , , 6.4 , , 3.1 , , 17 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 19 , , 69 , , 39 , , 166 , , 59 , , 225 , , 111 , , 27 , , style="background:#CAE1FF; width:1em" , 3.6^† , , 2.1 , , 8.7 , , 3.1 , , 11.8 , , 5.8 , , 1.4 , , 13 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

^# , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 14 , , 43 , , 20 , , 117 , , 38 , , 155 , , 68 , , 28 , , style="background:#CAE1FF; width:1em" , 3.1^† , , 1.4 , , 8.4 , , 2.7 , , 11.1 , , 4.9 , , 2.0 , , 4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 22 , , 49 , , 29 , , 132 , , 51 , , 183 , , 89 , , 39 , , 2.2 , , 1.3 , , 6.0 , , 2.3 , , 8.3 , , 4.0 , , 1.8 , , 3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 17 , , 34 , , 22 , , 96 , , 23 , , 119 , , 69 , , 16 , , 2.0 , , 1.3 , , 5.7 , , 1.4 , , 7.0 , , 4.1 , , 0.9 , , 6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 18 , , 41 , , 21 , , 131 , , 47 , , 178 , , 89 , , 21 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 7.3 , , 2.6 , , 9.9 , , 4.9 , , 1.2 , , 2 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 278 ! 686 ! 380 ! 2260 ! 776 ! 3036 ! 1554 ! 599 ! 2.5 ! 1.4 ! 8.1 ! 2.8 ! 10.9 ! 5.6 ! 2.2 ! 84

Honours and achievements

AFL *1x AFL Premiership Player:

*2x Coleman Medallist: 2015,

*3x All-Australian: 2015 ( vc),

( vc) *2x All-Australian 40-man Squad: 2011,

* Carlton Pre-Season Premiership Side: 2007 West Coast Eagles * 8x West Coast leading goalkicker: 2011,

, 2015,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

* Vice-captain:

–

*Chris Mainwaring Medallist: 2015 *3x Glendinning-Allan Medallist:

(round 20),

(round 6),

(round 7) *Eagles in the Community Award: 2016 *'
Life Membership:
'' 2016

Personal life

Kennedy married long-time girlfriend Lauren Atkinson, an artist, in October 2016. They had previously been together since 2008 and have two daughters.

References

External links

* *
Josh Kennedy Profile in Blueseum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Josh 1987 births Australian rules footballers from Western Australia Carlton Football Club players East Fremantle Football Club players Living people Preston Football Club (VFA) players People from Northampton, Western Australia Australian rules footballers from Melbourne West Coast Eagles players West Coast Eagles Premiership players Coleman Medal winners All-Australians (AFL) One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players