Life As a Footballer: Q&A with GWS Giants’ Matthew Kennedy

Matthew Kennedy began his footy career in a small country town called Collingullie, just outside of Wagga Wagga. Since then he has gone on to bigger and better things, adjusting to life in Sydney and playing for the Greater Western Sydney Giants.

Having dreamed of playing AFL ever since he could remember, Kennedy’s dream was made a reality when he was drafted in 2015 by the Giants. Kennedy has progressed well within the team since his debut in 2015.

Managing only three AFL games last year he has already played in 5 out of 7 games for the GWS Giants so far this season.

Q: Coming from a country town to living in the ‘big smoke’, how did you find it at first?

A: It was a big move, moving from the country to the city. There’s obviously a lot more people and it felt like everything was crammed in with not as much space, so I was out of my comfort zone a bit. But the club were really good with helping us settle in. They put us in a house with some senior players when we first got there and after a couple of weeks I moved in with Harry Himmelberg (another first year player and friend from home).

Q: What’s the thing you miss the most about playing country footy?

A: More the social side of things. Being more laidback and not as intense. Just being able to go back to the pub and have a few beers with your teammates and the opposition that you play on that weekend is good. I guess the biggest thing would be the people from back home though that I miss the most.

Q: What area of your own game have you seen the most improvement in since joining the Giants?

A: The area I’ve improved the most in I reckon would be my defensive side. A lot of people who get drafted are pretty good offensively so just being able to do both. Defend well and play offensively, together, is probably the biggest improvement I’ve seen of myself since coming to the Giants.

Q: How does a typical day as a Giant work? Daily routine?

A: Earlier on in the week it’s a lighter training, so more recovery based sort of stuff. We get massages, have ice baths and seeing the physios to sort out the little corks and niggles that you get from the weekend’s game. We also have a game review, both as a team and personally. In that we go over our ‘RFI’s’ which is ‘Room For Improvement’ and also look at things we did well.

We then have one main training session a week which is usually on a Wednesday where we’ll train from 7am-4pm. For that we train in the morning then have an opposition analysis for the weekend’s game ahead and then a little bit of gym work in the afternoon and some recovery stuff as well.

Two days before a game we get the day off to do whatever and then the day before a game we have a light session just to kick the footy’s around.

Then obviously we have game day where we go out and play.

Q: Who is your biggest role model at the club?

A: There’s been a lot of players that have helped me a lot. Blokes like Dylan Shiel, Callan Ward and Stephen Coniglio have all been good to me, and I try to base my game around those three and the way they go about it. But I’d say that Stephen Coniglio has been the biggest inspiration for myself.

Q: What are your goals for the rest of the season? Personally and as a team?

A: Personally, it would be to just play as many games as I can and do my role for the team. Constantly improve week to week. As a team, just focusing week by week. Trying to get a win on the board but ultimately it’s to play finals and go deep into finals and hopefully one day win that Grand Final.

Q: What type of player would you like to be seen as by your teammates and opposition?

A: A real competitor who hates to lose. Someone that turns up every week and performs and is going to do their best to get the win. Being an inside midfielder rather than an outside mid, getting in to the contest and trying to win the hard ball. Also someone who can go forward and take a big mark and impact the game by kicking goals and putting points on the scoreboard.