Sydney Swans Hall of Fame inductees Paul Roos, Brett Kirk and Michael O’Loughlin have all paid tribute to retiring Swans defender Tadhg Kennelly.

A much loved figure in the Swans community, Kennelly announced this morning that he would retire from the game at the end of the season and it didn’t take long for the accolades to come in.

2005 premiership coach, Paul Roos, hailed Kennelly’s career as a ‘great story’ and described him as an integral part of the team during such a successful period.

“He was a terrific athlete, but at his best he was an exceptional player,” Roos said.

“I think the thing that people underestimate with Tadhg is his competitiveness. He is just a real, hard competitor and professional, and really pushed himself hard and trained hard, and that was the thing that allowed him to become such a great player.

“For a kid that came here from Ireland and had never kicked an AFL football, to become the best kick at the Sydney Swans through that real key period in our history was an exceptional effort.”

Former Swans captain, Brett Kirk, and Swans games record holder, Michael O’Loughlin, also paid tribute to their 2005 premiership teammate for his football ability, but more so the influence he had on the club and their lives.

“I remember his first training session and him kicking the footy around - he had no idea,” O’Loughlin said. “But the thing with Tadhg is he had an enormous appetite for hard work and he turned himself into a great player.

“You can see with the turnout that he has had today that there’s a lot of people who have a lot of respect for him and value his friendship.’’

Kirk said he is proud to call Kennelly a friend, and that his positive energy makes him such a loved personality amongst the football community.

“He always has such a positive outlook on life and he’s a real person who cares about other people, and that’s one of his greatest qualities,” Kirk said.

“That’s why he was so loved inside footy walls, but also by the wider community.”