Speedy defender Adam Kennedy has overcome plenty of challenges on the GWS Giants’ eight-season journey into their first AFL grand final on Saturday.
Kennedy tallied a team-high 28 touches when GWS made their AFL bow back in March 20012 and has gone on to play 114 matches, making him one of 15 Giants centurions.
He only got to belt out the club song seven times in 54 games across their first three seasons.
In 2015, he fell out of form and favour playing just seven senior games and also got dropped in the latter half of the following season, though he was part of the 2016 GWS reserves side that won the NEAFL title, the club’s first piece of silverware.
A knee reconstruction in 2017 sidelined him for 14 months, restricting him to just 16 games across two seasons.
Then in July of this year Kennedy missed some playing time after being diagnosed with an elevated heart rate.
“I had a procedure where they put a few things up through my leg just to see if there was anything wrong in the heart which is always a little bit scary,” Kennedy told AAP.
“I think every year I’ve had my challenges.
“At times I’m playing some pretty good footy and at times my form has just dropped away a bit and I get challenged on it, which is what I’d expect from the coaches.
“I feel like each time I’ve been able to bounce back.”
On Saturday, Kennedy will be part of a GWS backline looking to subdue Richmond’s two quality talls, Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt and the Tigers’ famed battery of nippy small forwards.
“As a collective they are probably one of the hardest small forward teams,” Kennedy said.
“They’ve got the two keys in (Jack) Riewoldt and (Tom) Lynch, but the smalls around them are always super busy and they work really well together, so we’ll have our hands full on the weekend.”