Newly appointed Sydney Swans defence coach Tadhg Kennelly is relishing the chance to oversee “a healthy mix of youth and experience” as the 2019 campaign draws near.
Kennelly’s transition from development coach to defence mentor has matched him with seasoned campaigners Jarrad McVeigh, Heath Grundy, Nick Smith, Dane Rampe and Jake Lloyd, as well as Aliir Aliir, Zak Jones, Callum Mills and a host of other young backmen.
The entire Swans list recently completed a pre-Christmas block of pre-season training, and Kennelly says it’s exciting to be leading a strong blend of battle-hardened warriors and promising youngsters.
“It was good to get a few numbers on the track before Christmas,” Kennelly told Swans Media.
“Rampe, McVeigh, Grundy, Smith’s still in rehab, but those first three are looking very sharp. Then of course when you add (new recruit) Jackson Thurlow and also Jake Lloyd, our 2018 Club Champion, it’s a pretty experienced group.
“Then you’ve got a bit of variety with some of the younger guys going back there, with Harry Cunningham who can go back, Jones plays off half-back, Mills has played the majority of his football as a defender.
“There’s certainly a healthy mix of youth and experience in the defensive stocks. I’m looking forward to getting my teeth stuck in to some of the work after Christmas – some of the game-simulation stuff and then of course the pre-season games.”
In an indication of just how long some of Sydney’s defenders have donned the red and white, Kennelly retired at the end of season 2011 with McVeigh on 169 games, Grundy 90 and Smith 52.
On the cusp of season 2019, McVeigh is sitting on 319 games, Grundy 255 and Smith 211, while Rampe (138) and Lloyd (115) – who hadn’t debuted before Kennelly hung up the boots – are experienced defenders themselves.
Kennelly couldn’t be happier with the depth of experience in Sydney’s defensive set-up, but the 2005 premiership backman was quick to underscore the club’s capacity to develop the stars of tomorrow.
Defenders Colin O’Riordan and Ryley Stoddart both made their AFL debuts in 2018, and Aliir, Jones and Mills are going from strength to strength.
“Something the Swans have done well for a long, long time is blooded some youth in the backline – and we’ll continue to do that in 2019,” Kennelly said.
“Aliir, in particular, was sensational over the back half of 2018. He became a really imposing intercept-marking player.
“We need youth to balance out a lot of the experience we have. And those experienced blokes, like McVeigh, Grundy, Smith and so on, will instil a lot of knowledge in those young men and really help them along the journey.”
Kennelly is so too set on having an impact on Sydney’s defenders as coach, and Rhyce Shaw’s replacement is clear-minded on the approach he’s wanting to take.
“You need people to have your back and help you through the tough times, but also challenge you when things are going well,” Kennelly said.
“You’ve got to keep up the motivation of footballers because footy can become a very stressful environment.
“You really want to focus on effort, growth and reward. You can make a big difference when you focus on effort, growth and reward – your mindset is a lot more enjoyable and it’s easier to come to work.”
