Tadhg Kennelly (born 1 July 1981) is an Irish-Australian former international sportsperson turned recruiter and coach. He is most known for his top-level careers in both

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

and

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

being the only holder of both an

AFL Premiership medallion The AFL Grand Final is an Australian rules football match to determine the premiers for the Australian Football League (AFL) season. From its inception until 1989, it was known as the VFL Grand Final, as the league at that time was the Victo ...

and a Senior All-Ireland Championship medal, the highest-possible team-based achievement in both sports. He has also represented

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in the International Rules Series. Kennelly grew up playing Gaelic football with

Listowel Emmets Listowel Emmets is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland. They play in Division 3 of the County Football league and in the Kerry Intermediate Football Championship. Players from the club also compete in the ...

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

, but he moved to Australia to play professional

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

. 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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in the International Rules Series. After Jim Stynes, he is the third-most-experienced player associated with the

Irish experiment The Irish Experiment is the popular name for the interest, primarily from VFL/AFL clubs, in bringing Irish sportspeople, particularly Gaelic footballers, to Australia to play Australian rules football professionally. The AFL's focus on Gaeli ...

. Kennelly returned to his native Listowel to play in the

2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was 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 9 October 2008. The tournament began on ...

(SFC). On 20 September 2009, he started the All-Ireland SFC Final as part of Kerry's All-Ireland winning side, scoring two points during the game and thus becoming the first person to win an AFL Premiership and an All-Ireland SFC. After achieving his dream, he returned to the AFL to play for

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

after missing one season.

Early life

Kennelly was born in

Listowel Listowel ( ; , IPA: �lʲɪsˠˈt̪ˠuəhəlʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the Central Statistics Of ...

in 1981 to mother Nuala and father

Tim Kennelly Tim Kennelly (6 July 1954 – 6 December 2005) was Irish Gaelic footballer. His league and championship career at senior level with the Kerry county team spanned ten years from 1974 to 1984. Born just outside Listowel, County Kerry, Kennelly ...

, a former All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winner with the Kerry county team. Tadhg grew up playing Gaelic football and was recognised as a highly talented underage player in Kerry GAA. He was scouted by a number of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

teams, including Tranmere Rovers and West Brom, and had underage trials for the Irish national team before being recruited by Blackburn Rovers. Within a few months, he decided to return to Ireland.

Sporting career

Underage Gaelic football career

He first played with the Kerry minor team in 1997 when he won a Munster Minor Football Championship (MFC), overcoming

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

. He was underage again in 1998 and won a second Munster MFC title after another win over Limerick. He missed out on three in a row in 1999, as

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

took the title. While still a minor, he was part of the county's under-21 team. He won a Munster Under-21 Football Championship title after overcoming Cork in the final. A surprise loss in the All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship final to Westmeath was his lot. He made a return to the under-21 team in 2002, lining out in the All-Ireland semi-final loss to

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

AFL career, 2001–2008

In 1999, he signed a rookie contract with the Sydney Swans. 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 Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

. 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 (born 19 May 1977) is a retired Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League (AFL) with the Sydney Swans. Originally from Deniliquin, New South Wales, Barry attended Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, before being d ...

) for rebounds (77) from the defensive

50-metre arc An Australian rules football playing field is a venue where Australian rules football is played. The playing field is typically a large oval-shaped grass surface, usually a modified cricket field. These fields may vary especially for variat ...

in 2004. Kennelly became the first Irishman to win an AFL Premiership medal in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, after playing all 26 games for the Sydney Swans that year, including his 100th AFL game in the Preliminary Final against . He was reportedly earning an annual salary of $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 Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

sent out its usual game-day

boundary rider Boundary rider is a long-established (1864) Australasian term for a cattle or sheep station employee whose duties entail a regular tour (by horse, camel or motor vehicle) of the outer perimeter (boundary) of the property, checking condition of f ...

Andrew Maher Andrew Maher is an Australian sports journalist and broadcaster for the Seven Network and Melbourne sport radio station 1116 SEN. He is best known for covering both Australian rules football and the Big Bash League for the Ten television ne ...

, over to

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

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. 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 The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

Byron Pickett Byron Pickett (born 11 August 1977) 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 ...

, causing an

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

tear and seeing him miss several matches, including 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 he 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 wanted to emulate the success of his father and win an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal with his native county's team,

.Kerry GAA – Tadhg Kennelly to Return to Kerry Football
/ref> 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 31 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.

Gaelic football career 2009

Upon returning to Kerry, Kennelly was given a job as a coaching officer by the Kerry County Board. He played his first senior competitive game for the Kerry county team on 8 March 2009 when he came on as a substitute in the Irish NFL against

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

, 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 an Irish NFL medal when Kerry defeated

in the final at

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

. As Kerry had a number of injuries—meaning that

Darragh Ó Sé Darragh Ó Sé (born 5 March 1975 in Ard an Bhóthair, Ventry, County Kerry) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer. He plays with his local club, An Ghaeltacht, and was a member at senior level of the Kerry county team from 1997 until he announ ...

, Anthony Maher,

Séamus Scanlon Séamus 'Moosey' Scanlon (''Irish - Séamas Ó Scanláin'', born 1981) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for the Currow club, the St Kieran's divisional team and the Kerry county team. He first came on the Kerry senior scene in 2002 un ...

and Kieran Donaghy were all short of full fitness—Kennelly played in Kerry's first two games of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) in June. He picked up an injury during the All-Ireland qualifier series, but his form continued to improve, and after an impressive appearance as a substitute in the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final against

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, he broke into the starting team for the semi-final in which Kerry defeated Meath. On 20 September 2009, he played the first fifty minutes of the All-Ireland SFC final win against

, scoring two 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 would return to Australia. In October 2009, he published his autobiography, ''Unfinished Business'',

ghost written A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...

with Scotty Gullen. The book was controversial; a paragraph claimed that he set out to make his mark at the start of the All-Ireland SFC Final by deliberately colliding with Nicholas Murphy. After a backlash, Kennelly released a statement in which he stated that his ghost writer had taken him out of context. In November 2009, Kennelly informed the Kerry County Board of his intention to return to the AFL in 2010.

AFL career, 2009–2010

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 took 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 at the hands of on 16 September 2011; he played 197 AFL games.

Statistics

: , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 41 , , 8 , , 3 , , 1 , , 36 , , 13 , , 49 , , 11 , , 5 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 4.5 , , 1.6 , , 6.1 , , 1.4 , , 0.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 20 , , 7 , , 3 , , 127 , , 100 , , 227 , , 46 , , 26 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 6.4 , , 5.0 , , 11.4 , , 2.3 , , 1.3 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 24 , , 8 , , 2 , , 206 , , 164 , , 370 , , 85 , , 38 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 8.6 , , 6.8 , , 15.4 , , 3.5 , , 1.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 23 , , 7 , , 2 , , 192 , , 153 , , 345 , , 83 , , 37 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 8.3 , , 6.7 , , 15.0 , , 3.6 , , 1.6 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 26 , , 2 , , 5 , , 250 , , 146 , , 396 , , 99 , , 50 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 9.6 , , 5.6 , , 15.2 , , 3.8 , , 1.9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 22 , , 1 , , 2 , , 211 , , 149 , , 360 , , 88 , , 42 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 9.6 , , 6.8 , , 16.4 , , 4.0 , , 1.9 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 13 , , 1 , , 0 , , 129 , , 89 , , 218 , , 67 , , 25 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 9.9 , , 6.8 , , 16.8 , , 5.2 , , 1.9 , - ! 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 , , 22 , , 0 , , 4 , , 235 , , 175 , , 410 , , 78 , , 36 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 10.7 , , 8.0 , , 18.6 , , 3.5 , , 1.6 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 20 , , 0 , , 1 , , 261 , , 152 , , 413 , , 99 , , 19 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 13.1 , , 7.6 , , 20.7 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 19 , , 1 , , 1 , , 170 , , 125 , , 295 , , 46 , , 49 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 8.9 , , 6.6 , , 15.5 , , 2.4 , , 2.6 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 197 ! 30 ! 21 ! 1817 ! 1266 ! 3083 ! 702 ! 327 ! 0.2 ! 0.1 ! 9.2 ! 6.4 ! 15.6 ! 3.6 ! 1.7

Post AFL

Post AFL Kennelly shifted into AFL recruitment and coaching. In 2013, he was appointed by the

as its International Talent Manager. As part of this role he oversaw the International AFL Combine and coordinated the first AFL Europe Combine held in

in 2015. In 2018, he returned to the Sydney Swans becoming a development coach. In October 2022 Kennelley was appointed Academy coach of the Swans cross town rivals

Greater Western Sydney Giants The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Sydney Olympic Park, which represents the ...

.Swans Great Joins the GIANTS
By GIANTS Media 5 October 2022

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennelly, Tadhg 1981 births Living people All Stars Awards winners (football) Gaelic footballers who switched code Irish international rules football players Irish players of Australian rules football Irish emigrants to Australia

Tadhg Tadhg (, ), (pronunciations given for the name ''Tadgh'' separately from those for the slang/pejorative ''Teague''.) commonly misspelled "Taig" or "Teague", is an Irish and Scottish Gaelic masculine name that was very common when the Goidelic l ...

Kerry inter-county Gaelic footballers Listowel Emmets Gaelic footballers One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players People from Listowel Sydney Swans players Sydney Swans Premiership players VFL/AFL players born outside Australia Winners of one All-Ireland medal (Gaelic football)