EMERGING Sydney Swans midfielder Josh Kennedy says a tough and highly competitive pre-season has made players "hungry" for success in 2011, after falling just short of a preliminary final berth last season.
The 22-year-old, who enjoyed his first season at the club by finishing third in the best and fairest, said the large number of players vying for positions is indicative of a side on the rise after falling to the Western Bulldogs by five points in last year’s semi-final.
"There certainly is a lot of competition," Kennedy told sydneyswans.com.au at the Swans’ Telstra AFL Community Camp in Wollongong this week.
"It’s starting to come through in training now with the competitive drills ramping up, and there have been a few times when blokes have come off the track with torn jumpers, and there’s been a couple of guys go off with blood rules, so we really just can’t wait to go out and show what we’ve got in the NAB Cup," he said.
Despite some misgivings in recent years about the club’s depth of quality younger players, Kennedy heads an exciting list of young midfielders at the Swans who will be fighting it out for time on the ball in 2011.
Last year’s best and fairest winner Kieren Jack, 2010 NAB AFL Rising Star Daniel Hannebery, top-ten draft pick Gary Rohan and former Hawk Ben McGlynn combined for a new-look Sydney midfield last year and, according to Kennedy, they are ready to improve again this season.
"We’ve got a good balance of younger and older guys with experience, some of which played in the 2005 premiership, and the young guys are really hungry," he said.
Kennedy himself thrived in 2010 with added responsibility after requesting to be traded to the club after three seasons at Hawthorn, where he played 13 games but was unable to cement a spot in the side.
Kennedy’s family history at the club - his grandfather is legendary Hawks coach John Kennedy senior, and his father John junior is also a premiership player at the club - made the decision to move interstate even more difficult.
"At the time it was a pretty difficult decision, but in hindsight it's proven to be a fantastic choice," he said, after playing every game with the Swans in 2010 and averaging more than 20 possessions.
"I’m rapt with the opportunity the Swans gave me and hopefully I can continue to repay them."
With the Sydney Swans set to take on Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast in round one of the NAB Cup next Saturday night at Blacktown, Kennedy said the new blood at the club would help push the Swans up the ladder.
"We’ve got a lot of good young draft picks, and also recruited Matt Spangher from West Coast and Andrejs Everitt from the Bulldogs, who will hopefully inject some more run for us from half-back," Kennedy said.
"We’ve got a lot of guys up and running, the intra-club on Friday and then we’re into the NAB Cup, so the group can’t wait."
