They say behind every great man is a great woman and this week 'Inner Sanctum' finds out what our favourite Irishman, Tadhg Kennelly, is like away from footy.

sydneyswans.com.au chatted with his long-time girlfriend Nicole Noonan about what life is like living with Tadhg, and their two house-mates Stephen Doyle and Tim Schmidt.

LIFE WITH THREE SWANS

sydneyswans.com.au:How long have you been with Tadhg?
Nicole:We have been together six years and living together for a year.

SS:How did you meet?
Nicole:At university. I knew a couple of his friends and they introduced us. I thought he was pretty cute and the Irish accent was a good selling point.

SS:What made you decide to move in together?
Nicole:It got to the stage where we were seeing each other most nights and it was a hassle having to drive from one house to the other. And it was annoying having half my wardrobe at his place! Now we share a wardrobe but my clothes fill more than half so his clothes are in the garage!

SS:What is Tadhg like to live with?
Nicole:Pretty good. He is really easy going. He is studying Arts, Geography and History part-time so sometimes he has got work to do so he goes upstairs and studies. The only criticism I have is that Tadhg watches Fox Footy 24/7.

SS:You also live with Tim who finally made his debut on the weekend. How was that?
Nicole:He had been an emergency a few times this year and that was really exciting as he was obviously on the verge so I was really pleased for him. I thought he played really well. Roosy said after the game that what they look for in young kids is composure and he had it so that was great, also having all his family and mates would have been great for him.

SS:You also live with Doyley who is often on the injury list but recently has came back and was an emergency on the weekend!
Nicole:Yeah, he is getting close. At least he is playing again and is now close to breaking back into the seniors. Hopefully he will get into the team in the next couple of weeks and then we can have all three boys in the team.

SS:Tadhg once told me he wanted eight kids. That is a lot of kids.
Nicole: Hmmm…interesting…. !!! Not suprising being Irish and Catholic I suppose. Our dog Molly is enough for now though!!

UNDERSTANDING TADHG

SS:I struggle to understand him sometimes, do you?
Nicole:Most of the time I can understand him but sometimes like when he is talking to his Irish friends or after he has had a couple drinks and starts to slur a bit then even I get lost.

SS:Is Tadhg romantic?
Nicole:Occasionally. On our anniversary last year we planned to go out for dinner and we drove down to Bondi. Then he pretended he forgot his wallet so we went home to pick up his wallet and he made me run in and when I ran inside my other two flatmates had completely transformed our living room with rose petals spread over the floor and candles and music and then Tadhg came running in and we sat down and the other two boys cooked us a yummy dinner. Massive brownie points for that one!

SS:Anything you would change about Tadhg?
Nicole:Sometimes I just wish he would work a 9-5 job and have weekends free. Also, he prefers savoury food and I am a real sweet tooth.

SS:Anything Swans fans don't know about Tadhg but would find interesting?
Nicole:He loves our puppy, so he has a soft side. Also he owns more hair product than I do.

DOMESTIC DUTIES

SS:Who does the washing up?
Nicole:We share it. Whoever cooks gets out of cleaning up and the other three play paper, scissors, rock and the loser cleans. Though Tadhg is pretty bad at that and usually loses and sometimes I feel sorry for him so I help him out.

SS:Clothes washing?
Nicole:Everyone does their own. Their footy gear stinks!

SS:So he can work a washing machine?
Nicole:He can. They are all very good.

SS:Tidy or messy?
Nicole:Tidy, pretty tidy. Though he thinks its magic when he dumps clothes on the bed and later they’re folded in a neat pile!

SS:Who does the shopping?
Nicole:The boys do actually because I finish work too late for them to wait! I would probably cook once or twice a week.

SS:Who is the best cook?
Nicole:Probably Steve. Tim does the standards like Spaghetti Bol or Burritos and Tadhg is a bit of a BBQ king. Steve will occasionally experiment.

FOOTY TALK

SS:What do your work-mates say when the Swans win or lose?
Nicole:A lot of them are ex-Melbourne and they all have their teams so there is a good rivalry and we have our own footy tipping competition at work as well so it is fun. I always back the Swans, and lay low in my chair if they lose!

SS:How do you spend your Friday or Saturday nights.
Nicole:Eating pasta watching the footy and going to bed early. I watch a lot of footy! When I first started watching it I knew nothing about it and thought it was boring. Now I know a little more about it and its good hearing what the boys think, they point out things I probably wouldn't see otherwise. Being in the footy competition I’m learning more about other teams so it isn't just a random pick.

SS:How are you going in the footy competition?
Nicole:Not too bad. Though I always tip the swans so that hasn’t been good lately! My boss is still beating me which is a bit of a sore point but still a few weeks to go so I am confident.

SS:Tadhg's routine on a Sunday game day?
Nicole:Gets up reasonably early, eats his porridge, goes to Mass at the local church comes home has a shower and leaves for the ground.

SS:What is he like the morning after the game?
Nicole:He is usually pretty sore and stiff but he is pretty good. If they lose he will be really quiet, upset the night of the game but the next day he is pretty good and will move on and start thinking about the next week and getting himself right.

SS:Thank you very much Nicole, it has been informative.
Nicole:(laughs) No problem.