Kennedy out for revenge
Josh Kennedy, a third-generation Hawk who joined AFL rivals Sydney this season, is determined to get some revenge against Hawthorn on Saturday.
The son of John Kennedy Junior can't even recall the last quarter of the round-10 game against Hawthorn at the MCG, thanks to a clash with Wayde Skipper.
After two huge losses to Melbourne and Geelong, the Swans are just hanging on to a place in the eight and don't need any extra motivation ahead of their SCG encounter with Hawthorn.
But Kennedy has some anyway.
"I don't remember any of the last quarter but I do remember walking off the ground and knowing we'd just got done by two points," Kennedy told reporters at the SCG.
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully getting some revenge.
"It was Wayde Skipper."
Kennedy's plan to make things uncomfortable for Skipper hit a snag when told by a reporter the Hawk had been dropped.
"Has he?," Kennedy said.
"He didn't really get me. It was 50-50, it was in both our paths.
"You could argue that I head-butted his knee. I don't really remember much."
But it seems any revenge will do, whether that be knocking over a few Hawks or simply getting a win.
"I'm just hoping to get a bit of revenge tomorrow," Kennedy said.
Sixth-placed Hawthorn (38 points) are only half a game clear of Sydney following Port Adelaide's upset win over the Hawks last weekend.
"The last two weeks haven't been great," Kennedy said.
"Every game from now on is almost a finals game for us.
"It has been such an up-and-down season for us and throughout the league that you never know what's going to happen and it has left the door open for us."
Kennedy, 22, is second in handballs and fifth in tackles for the Swans and has played all 18 games for a career total of 31 after being released by the Hawks last year.
The 189cm utility says his former team-mate Buddy Franklin is the man Sydney must stop.
"He's got that swagger about him which he's renowned for and arguably what makes him a great player," he said.
Kennedy compared Franklin to Sydney's co-captains Adam Goodes and Brett Kirk.
"When they lift they drag you along with them. That's what makes them such an important part of the team when they're up and firing," he said.
Kennedy says strong-tackling small forward Michael Osborne and the recalled Garry Moss can help cover the gap left by pacy goalsneak Cyril Rioli, who is serving a two-game suspension.
Fans of both sides will be in for "something special" if 2008 Norm Smith Medallist Luke Hodge tags dual Brownlow Medallist Goodes.
"If they were to play on each other it would be one for the ages," Kennedy said.
Kennedy was inspired to grab the No.12 guernsey with Sydney after his schoolboy encounter with St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt, who gave him a pair of his old footy boots which he wore with pride while in Year 11 at Melbourne's Xavier College.
"They had the number 12 written on the back and `Roo' just underneath in permanent texta," he said.
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