Two of the Swans’ premiership champions, Tadhg Kennelly and Craig Bolton, have been nominated in the 2011 AFL Players’ Madden Medal, presented by Open Universities Australia.

The award recognises excellence across three categories - football achievement, personal development and community spirit and has previously been won by two Sydney stars - Michael O’Loughlin (2009) and Brett Kirk (2010), while Glenn Archer (North Melbourne, 2007) and Robert Harvey (St Kilda, 2008), have also been recipients.

Bolton co-captained the club with Kirk in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and after 199 games at the top level and recognition as a two-time All-Australian (2006, 2009) he has proven to be one of the most reliable backmen in the club’s history.

During his career he completed a Bachelor of Communication - Journalism, Media & Marketing and is currently undertaking a Masters of International Studies.

His work within the community was exceptional and he was rewarded with the 2007 AFL Community Leadership Award for his work with Street Swags, Youth Off The Streets, and also the JEF program which delivers food to homeless people in inner Sydney.

Both Bolton and Kennelly shared the ultimate glory during the 2005 Premiership. Kennelly leaves the game as the only player to ever win an AFL premiership and an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

Kennelly thrilled fans at the SCG over his 197 games and leaves the sport as the second most experienced player (after Jim Stynes) to be associated with the Irish experiment.

Off the field Tadhg’s personality captured the hearts of many and his giving nature saw him undertake several community projects.

He was involved with the Heart Foundation of Australia - ‘Tadhg’s All Heart’ - fundraising initiative which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for this foundation.

He was also a Redkite ambassador in 2011, a charity which provides support to children diagnosed with cancer and their families, and this saw Tadhg visiting hospitals to lend his support to the kids.

During his time at the Swans he also completed a Bachelor of Education and qualified as a teacher.

Swans supporters will be hoping one of the boys can make it three in a row for the Swans at the Madden Medal. They will be competing against Barry Hall, Brady Rawlings, Cameron Ling and Cameron Mooney to win the award which recognises the player who has contributed the most to the game and the broader community.

The award will be voted on by the AFL Players’ Association Executive Board. The Madden Medal will be held on December 1, 2011 at Studio 3 at Crown Casino in Melbourne.