Since arriving in Sydney at the end of 2009 after three years at Hawthorn, Kennedy hasn’t missed a match and has developed into one of the club’s most consistent performers.
In the last four seasons, Kennedy has averaged 24.2 possessions per game and has polled in the top-three in the annual Bob Skilton Medal count, including being the runaway winner in 2012.
Speaking to the media ahead of his 100th club game, which will be against Collingwood at ANZ Stadium this Saturday night, Kennedy said he is still amazed with how much he’s achieved in his time at the Swans.
“It’s great to be able to stand here and think that the last four years have gone incredibly quickly,” he said.
“To think back (when I came here) that I’d be standing here playing my 100th Swans game seemed so far away, but it’s a great honour to be here today.
“It’s been pretty well-documented, but the transition (from Hawthorn to Sydney) has been really fruitful for me and every day you sort of pinch yourself and think about how it came to this.
“It’s certainly not the end of the road and I want to keep improving and getting better and return the faith the Swans put in me four years ago.”
Asked whether he intended to play out his AFL career with the Swans, Kennedy’s answer was simple.
“Yeah certainly,” he said.
“If they wanted to keep me here then I’d love to stay here for the rest of my career.”
The 25-year-old, who was elevated to the club’s leadership group last season, will be among those leading the charge when the Swans take on the Magpies on Saturday night.
With losses in their respective round one matches, Kennedy said he expected both teams would be determined to make amends this weekend.
“We’ve obviously had two weeks to think about (the loss) and they’ve been in the same boat,” he said.
“We’ve spent a lot of time reviewing the game and reviewing ourselves as individuals and as a team.
“We’ve had a pretty solid (last) week on the track and it’s not going to change this week.
“We’re going to come out expecting to bounce back and be in their face and we know that they’ll probably be doing the same.”
Kennedy said combatting Collingwood’s talented midfield, including the like of Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan and Dayne Beams, would be one of the biggest challenges this week.
“They are pretty strong both inside and outside through the midfield,” he said.
“They’ve got some guys who can win a lot of clearances, as do we, so it’s going to be a real head-to-head battle in there.”
