THE SIGHT of Sydney Swans midfielder Josh Kennedy holding his ground under a Hawthorn tackle while handballing to a teammate was one of the constants of the semi-final loss to Hawthorn.

At 188cm and 96kg, Kennedy is one of the largest, and certainly strongest, midfielders in the competition. His ability to hand off under pressure perfectly suits the Sydney game-plan of forcing the ball forward via stoppages.

Kennedy had 16 clearances against Hawthorn, a figure that Champion Data says is a record in finals. Melbourne's Brent Moloney holds the overall record with 19.

Of Kennedy's 35 possessions against Hawthorn, a remarkable 25 were contested. According to the statistics, Kennedy's average number of contested possessions per game is 15, so you can see that the boy has no trouble getting his hands dirty.

And, given his similarly strong performances during the finals in 2010, he seems to thrive on big occasions.