DESPITE lining up for this 150th game on Sunday at Telstra Dome against Carlton, Tadhg Kennelly still retains his desire to return to Ireland and play his native sport, Gaelic football.
Kennelly debuted with the Swans in 2001 and was an integral part of the club's breakthrough premiership in 2005. But he has been consistent with his stance that he would re-evaluate his future when his current contract expires at the end of the 2009 season.
“I’ve signed up with the club until the end of next year so I will keep playing for as long as I can,” Kennelly said.
“I want to go back and play Gaelic football and I have always said that to the club.
“I will make a decision about what I am going to do at the end of my contract.”
The Swans would be devastated to lose the 27-year-old who coach Paul Roos rates as one of their best.
“At his best, if he is not our most valuable player, he is certainly right up there.” Roos said.
“He is a very important player. You probably judge your own players on how the opposition looks at them.
“When we play all the opposition teams they try and drag Tadhg back. They put a lot of time and effort into him.
“Clearly, across the board in AFL footy he is a respected player because of his consistent level of high performance.”
Roos said it took a lot of competitiveness to make it in the tough world of AFL.
“One thing you need to have if you are an Irishman coming over here is that you need to be a great competitor,” Roos said.
“Leaving your home country and family you need to have an amazing hunger and I think that is what Tadhg has got.
“He wants to be successful, he want to be the best footballer he can be and that has allowed him to get to the level he has. It is a really good effort.”
Kennelly said he hadn’t given too much thought to his achievement.
“We have a few more issues at hand at the moment so I have not really thought about it,” he said.
“I remember playing my first game and thinking: 'If I die tomorrow I will be a happy man'. I never thought I would play 150 games. It is quite strange to think where I came from.”
And he said his shoulder, which popped out a few times last weekend, should not hamper him too much against Carlton.
“It feels like nothing has happened,” he said.
“The shoulder is not too bad but it is not ideal. I have put up with it all year but I will keep on going.
“It is strapped like normal. I have no problem getting tackled or getting hit on it [the shoulder] it is when I switch off mentally that the muscle switches off and that is when the shoulder comes out. Any time that I tackle or am getting tackled it is no problem whatsoever because I am switching on the muscle.”
