Emotional Kennelly enters Sydney Hall of Fame

Former AFL and Kerry star Tadhg Kennelly has spoken of his great pride at being inducted into the Sydney Swans Hall of Fame.

An emotional Kennelly accepted the plaudits at the Swans' annual guernsey presentation and induction dinner in Sydney last night.

"I came out thinking 'I'll give it a crack and see what happens', not thinking I'd be a hall of famer."

"I never grew up thinking I'd play one game of AFL football - I think that 's why it stirred up a lot of emotion in me, given what I had to go through to make a career out here. It was an emotional trip the whole lot of it, to get to tonight.

"You don't often reflect on your career, but I certainly did while I was waiting backstage tonight."

Kennelly arrived in Sydney as an 18-year-old in 1999 and went on to have an AFL career spanning 10 years - famously winning the AFL Premiership in 2005 and dancing a jig as the trophy was presented.

He then quit Australia and returned to Ireland and helped Kerry to an All-Ireland title in 2009 - becoming the first person to win both All-Ireland and AFL medals.

"I grew up wanting to be a Gaelic footballer like my father," Kennelly said last night.

Kennelly's father Tim won five All-Irelands for Kerry and passed away suddenly in December 2005, just three months after watching Tadhg win the AFL title.

"I came out thinking 'I'll give it a crack and see what happens', not thinking I'd be a hall of famer for a great sporting club in Australia.

"When I first came out here I was 18 years old. I was fairly green. You need a father figure at a football club. There was no welfare managers. there was no development coaches and Georgie [veteran Swans coach George Stone] just put me under his wing and brought me to another level.

"My father passed away in 2005 and Georgie was the real one that got me going again and kept my career still fighting."

Aside from the All-Ireland title with Kerry, Kennelly says winning the title with Sydney in 2005 was his greatest memory.

"I'll never forget the feeling after the game. I'd love to put it in a bottle - and every now and then, when things are getting tough in life, take a swig out of it and remember the good times."

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