By LIAM TWOMEY
ADAM Kennedy still has to pinch himself to make sure it’s all real. After being overlooked in his final draft year with the Western Jets in 2010, the highly talented teenager was invited back to the club as an overage player for what would be one last chance to make it at the top level.
Fast-forward to 2012, and Kennedy stood arm in arm with his Greater Western Sydney teammates, singing the club song after playing in the Giants’ inaugural AFL win.
Not surprisingly, that game is well and truly entrenched in his first year highlights.
“Sometimes, I still have to pinch myself when I play,” Kennedy said.
“Especially last year, when I walked into the club, they had a lot of players there already, and there was a lot of talent in the place.
“The two big highlights were the very first game against the Swans and our first win against the Gold Coast.
“They were the two best moments, especially the win and just seeing all the supporters, the whole club and all the staff so up and about.
“That one will go down as a pretty good weekend.”
Kennedy went on to play 15 games in his debut season including the club’s second win against Port Adelaide, with the match also doubling as Kevin Sheedy’s 1000th AFL match as player and coach.
He reached double figure disposals in all but three games during his first year, with his high of 28 coming against eventual premier Sydney.
After living and playing his junior football in Melton, Kennedy’s signing saw him relocate over 800kms to a new set of western suburbs.
While admitting the move was an adjustment, he credits the club’s initial base at Breakfast Point with helping to bring the team together.
“At the start it takes some getting used to,” Kennedy said.
“I think it is just the moving away from your family and friends. It was a first for me and it was a first for the majority of the list.
“It was always going to be a bit tough at the start.
“The club and all the welfare people at the Giants like Craig Lamber — they have helped everyone settle in so well. At Breakfast Point, that brought all the boys really close together even though we had never met each other.”
As he enters the second year of his AFL career, Kennedy has no plans to slow down his development.
He has set himself the goal of improving his physical fitness and strength in an effort to be able to match it with some of the best athletes in the competition.
After coming up against reigning premier Sydney in the NAB Cup last month and again in round one, the former Jets captain said he could see the level he needed to reach.
“I still need to put on two or three more kilos, but I am slowly building my body up to play week in and week out at such a high level,” he said.
“I noticed the other weekend against Sydney, they are a very developed team and the bodies we came up against there, you could really tell that we are one or two years off in that regard.
“We saw Gold Coast last year and a lot of people started talking about them and when they would develop. Looking at them, we know what to expect. We are hoping to get a few more wins this year and just continue on from building a good reputation last year.”
While he has settled into his new life in the Harbour City, Kennedy still keeps an eye on his old stomping ground in Melbourne’s West.
“Whenever I head back, especially during the season, if we have Melbourne games or if we get that weekend off through a bye, I enjoy getting back home,” Kennedy said.
“Last year, I went down to a couple of Jets matches just to have a look at a few of the boys play that I knew and how they were coming along. It’s great to keep up with how they are doing.”
