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Matt Kennedy had a 'stinker' in a key game, but then got the perspective he needed
Matthew Kennedy reflects on his move from Carlton and how becoming a father has changed his perspective on footy
MATT Kennedy isn't on Facebook, let alone Instagram. He didn't hear the trade whispers. And he certainly didn't track the drama of deadline day on Twitter. But he did endure the stressful final five minutes of the trade period to see his move finally eventuate.
When Western Bulldogs list manager Sam Power was captured shaking hands with his manager, David Trotter from Hemisphere Management Group, just minutes after the deadline last October, Kennedy knew the deal was done. Both called him moments later to confirm the four-club, three-player trade.
Kennedy was the player that unlocked the complex move of Bailey Smith to Geelong and paved the way for Jack Macrae to join St Kilda. The Bulldogs weren't prepared to lose the box office star down the highway and the three-time All-Australian to Moorabbin without replenishing its midfield stocks.
After moving from Greater Western Sydney at the end of 2017, Kennedy had played 99 games across seven seasons at Carlton and was settled at Princes Park. But he was, somewhat, withering on the vine. Michael Voss had been honest with him in his exit meeting; if Trotter found a suitor, Kennedy was encouraged to consider it.
While Smith has been in Brownlow Medal contention for much of his first season at GMHBA Stadium and Macrae has reignited his career at RSEA Park, Kennedy has improved more than any other player that moved clubs last October, according to Champion Data's player ratings.
"I had my father-in-law's birthday on deadline day, so that was a good distraction. It was one of those trades where it was 50-50; I didn't know if it was going to get done," Kennedy told AFL.com.au in the rooms after the Bulldogs' win over Greater Western Sydney last Thursday night.
"It got to the last five minutes and I thought, 'this isn't going to go down'. I knew it finished at 7.30, so at 7.25 I grabbed 'Mez' (wife Mary-Anne) and went into a room quietly. It was just me and my wife watching the last five minutes.
"When it was all over, that was when the emotional side kicked in. There were a couple of tears there for me, not just to move to a new club but to leave a place where I had so many good memories. One chapter closes; one chapter starts. There were definitely a few tears shed, knowing that I would never walk back through those doors. That's life and that's footy.
"When I got to the (Bulldogs), they were so welcoming to my family. They've made me feel comfortable from day one. I think that just allows me to play good footy. I can't thank the club enough, from coaches to staff to the players. Footy clubs are great places; we are very lucky as players to be embraced by so many people that want us to have success. I think the Doggies are as good a club as I've seen. I'm just so grateful to land at such a great club."
Unlike when he moved from GWS to Carlton as a 20-year-old, Kennedy has landed at his third club at a very different stage of his life. The trade was secured just months after he and Mary-Anne had welcomed their fist child, Theodore. It has meant less time socialising with new teammates, but provided him with greater balance away from the club.
"It's crazy once you have a kid, your priorities change a fair bit," he said. "A few weeks ago, we lost to Adelaide and I had a stinker. I was down, that natural competitiveness, it was a big game for the club and I felt like I let a lot of people down. The next day, Theo woke up early and I thought 'life isn't all bad'. He's healthy, my wife Mary-Anne is healthy and I'm healthy. I think it gives you that balance and perspective in life.
"I've also had my (Catholic) faith, which has helped me have that balance as well. I'm just trying to embrace footy and enjoy every moment because there was a moment where I almost lost my job in footy and I was rookie for a few years. I've always tried to embrace the little things and be grateful.
"Family does give you more reason to have balance. When you're young, you just want to focus everything on footy, but the more things you have in life away from football helps. I do love being a dad full stop, that is my main priority. Footy is a gift and I love doing it, but for me family is always first."
Faith is a key tenet in Kennedy’s life. He attends mass every Sunday at St Roch's Catholic Church in Glen Iris. When the Bulldogs play on a Sunday, he heads to church on the Saturday. It's an important part of his week. But for a long time, he kept this part of his life private. Matt Kennedy the footballer was different to Matt Kennedy the person.
In recent years, he has been open about religion, not to preach to others, but to help younger players feel more comfortable exploring their own beliefs. When reigning Rising Star winner Ollie Dempsey opened up to AFL.com.au about his own connection to Christianity earlier this year, Kennedy was impressed by the courage it took at such a young age.
"For me, you just want to feel comfortable and fit in around your mates. So I was nervous about it at the start about whether I was going to be liked or disliked for having faith," he said.
"The older I have got, the more naturally confident you get with telling people; everyone has respected it, so I was sort of in shock and grateful for everyone respecting my beliefs.
"There was a stage where I was Matt Kennedy the footy player and larrikin and on the weekend I would sneak off and practice my faith. That was hard.
"The older and more open I've got, I can just be me and not have to try and please everyone. If people like me, they like me; if they don't, they don't. What I've found with being open about it is everyone has been super respectful and happy for my beliefs. I wish I did it earlier.
"It's awesome to see young Ollie Dempsey come out and show his faith. Adam Treloar is a practicing Christian and I've had a lot of good chats with him; I think it’s great that people are talking about it, because there is that stigma."
In his final year at the Blues, Kennedy played just about everywhere; predominantly as a forward across the first month of the season, defence the next fortnight, midfield the following month. Then eight weeks in attack, a week down back, a week forward, a fortnight in the middle. He then ended his campaign forward before he was subbed out of the elimination final loss to Brisbane halfway through the second quarter.
The constant shifting was a key reason for the move at the end of the season. The big-bodied midfielder only averaged 9.8 centre bounce attendances in 2024 – No.8 at Carlton – but this year is up to 17.9 per game, only marginally behind star midfielders Ed Richards, Tom Liberatore and Marcus Bontempelli.
He is inside the top 25 of midfielders for player ratings points in 2025, averaging a career-high 6.0 score involvements from his 23.2 disposals, 5.3 tackles and 4.9 clearances per game to go with 21 goals from 20 appearances.
"The one thing I really loved about the interview with 'Bevo' (coach Luke Beveridge) was there was no guarantee of spots. He said, 'we like you as a midfielder', but I knew it was one of the stronger midfields in the comp, so it wasn’t going to be easy to get in," Kennedy said.
"It was really just pre-season day one trying to earn the respect of the playing group to show them that I was good enough. Fortunately [for me] or unfortunately [for the team], there were some injuries at the start of the year that probably gave me a bit of opportunity and I was backed in to play to my strengths within the team. I think that's where I play my best footy.
"I'm grateful they've backed me to play that role and not move me around as much, which has been able to give me greater consistency. It is tough when you're chopping and changing. I feel a lot more confident with that midfield role and pinch hitting forward with the other core four mids. I'm enjoying that a fair bit. That's my role for now and hopefully I can stay there."
Life changed in the final five minutes of last year's trade period when Kennedy was staring at his phone in a bedroom at his in-law's house in Vermont South.
A change, evidently, for the better.
Matthew Kennedy reflects on his move from Carlton and how becoming a father has changed his perspective on footy
MATT Kennedy isn't on Facebook, let alone Instagram. He didn't hear the trade whispers. And he certainly didn't track the drama of deadline day on Twitter. But he did endure the stressful final five minutes of the trade period to see his move finally eventuate.
When Western Bulldogs list manager Sam Power was captured shaking hands with his manager, David Trotter from Hemisphere Management Group, just minutes after the deadline last October, Kennedy knew the deal was done. Both called him moments later to confirm the four-club, three-player trade.
Kennedy was the player that unlocked the complex move of Bailey Smith to Geelong and paved the way for Jack Macrae to join St Kilda. The Bulldogs weren't prepared to lose the box office star down the highway and the three-time All-Australian to Moorabbin without replenishing its midfield stocks.
After moving from Greater Western Sydney at the end of 2017, Kennedy had played 99 games across seven seasons at Carlton and was settled at Princes Park. But he was, somewhat, withering on the vine. Michael Voss had been honest with him in his exit meeting; if Trotter found a suitor, Kennedy was encouraged to consider it.
While Smith has been in Brownlow Medal contention for much of his first season at GMHBA Stadium and Macrae has reignited his career at RSEA Park, Kennedy has improved more than any other player that moved clubs last October, according to Champion Data's player ratings.
"I had my father-in-law's birthday on deadline day, so that was a good distraction. It was one of those trades where it was 50-50; I didn't know if it was going to get done," Kennedy told AFL.com.au in the rooms after the Bulldogs' win over Greater Western Sydney last Thursday night.
"It got to the last five minutes and I thought, 'this isn't going to go down'. I knew it finished at 7.30, so at 7.25 I grabbed 'Mez' (wife Mary-Anne) and went into a room quietly. It was just me and my wife watching the last five minutes.
"When it was all over, that was when the emotional side kicked in. There were a couple of tears there for me, not just to move to a new club but to leave a place where I had so many good memories. One chapter closes; one chapter starts. There were definitely a few tears shed, knowing that I would never walk back through those doors. That's life and that's footy.
"When I got to the (Bulldogs), they were so welcoming to my family. They've made me feel comfortable from day one. I think that just allows me to play good footy. I can't thank the club enough, from coaches to staff to the players. Footy clubs are great places; we are very lucky as players to be embraced by so many people that want us to have success. I think the Doggies are as good a club as I've seen. I'm just so grateful to land at such a great club."
Unlike when he moved from GWS to Carlton as a 20-year-old, Kennedy has landed at his third club at a very different stage of his life. The trade was secured just months after he and Mary-Anne had welcomed their fist child, Theodore. It has meant less time socialising with new teammates, but provided him with greater balance away from the club.
"It's crazy once you have a kid, your priorities change a fair bit," he said. "A few weeks ago, we lost to Adelaide and I had a stinker. I was down, that natural competitiveness, it was a big game for the club and I felt like I let a lot of people down. The next day, Theo woke up early and I thought 'life isn't all bad'. He's healthy, my wife Mary-Anne is healthy and I'm healthy. I think it gives you that balance and perspective in life.
"I've also had my (Catholic) faith, which has helped me have that balance as well. I'm just trying to embrace footy and enjoy every moment because there was a moment where I almost lost my job in footy and I was rookie for a few years. I've always tried to embrace the little things and be grateful.
"Family does give you more reason to have balance. When you're young, you just want to focus everything on footy, but the more things you have in life away from football helps. I do love being a dad full stop, that is my main priority. Footy is a gift and I love doing it, but for me family is always first."
Faith is a key tenet in Kennedy’s life. He attends mass every Sunday at St Roch's Catholic Church in Glen Iris. When the Bulldogs play on a Sunday, he heads to church on the Saturday. It's an important part of his week. But for a long time, he kept this part of his life private. Matt Kennedy the footballer was different to Matt Kennedy the person.
In recent years, he has been open about religion, not to preach to others, but to help younger players feel more comfortable exploring their own beliefs. When reigning Rising Star winner Ollie Dempsey opened up to AFL.com.au about his own connection to Christianity earlier this year, Kennedy was impressed by the courage it took at such a young age.
"For me, you just want to feel comfortable and fit in around your mates. So I was nervous about it at the start about whether I was going to be liked or disliked for having faith," he said.
"The older I have got, the more naturally confident you get with telling people; everyone has respected it, so I was sort of in shock and grateful for everyone respecting my beliefs.
"There was a stage where I was Matt Kennedy the footy player and larrikin and on the weekend I would sneak off and practice my faith. That was hard.
"The older and more open I've got, I can just be me and not have to try and please everyone. If people like me, they like me; if they don't, they don't. What I've found with being open about it is everyone has been super respectful and happy for my beliefs. I wish I did it earlier.
"It's awesome to see young Ollie Dempsey come out and show his faith. Adam Treloar is a practicing Christian and I've had a lot of good chats with him; I think it’s great that people are talking about it, because there is that stigma."
In his final year at the Blues, Kennedy played just about everywhere; predominantly as a forward across the first month of the season, defence the next fortnight, midfield the following month. Then eight weeks in attack, a week down back, a week forward, a fortnight in the middle. He then ended his campaign forward before he was subbed out of the elimination final loss to Brisbane halfway through the second quarter.
The constant shifting was a key reason for the move at the end of the season. The big-bodied midfielder only averaged 9.8 centre bounce attendances in 2024 – No.8 at Carlton – but this year is up to 17.9 per game, only marginally behind star midfielders Ed Richards, Tom Liberatore and Marcus Bontempelli.
He is inside the top 25 of midfielders for player ratings points in 2025, averaging a career-high 6.0 score involvements from his 23.2 disposals, 5.3 tackles and 4.9 clearances per game to go with 21 goals from 20 appearances.
"The one thing I really loved about the interview with 'Bevo' (coach Luke Beveridge) was there was no guarantee of spots. He said, 'we like you as a midfielder', but I knew it was one of the stronger midfields in the comp, so it wasn’t going to be easy to get in," Kennedy said.
"It was really just pre-season day one trying to earn the respect of the playing group to show them that I was good enough. Fortunately [for me] or unfortunately [for the team], there were some injuries at the start of the year that probably gave me a bit of opportunity and I was backed in to play to my strengths within the team. I think that's where I play my best footy.
"I'm grateful they've backed me to play that role and not move me around as much, which has been able to give me greater consistency. It is tough when you're chopping and changing. I feel a lot more confident with that midfield role and pinch hitting forward with the other core four mids. I'm enjoying that a fair bit. That's my role for now and hopefully I can stay there."
Life changed in the final five minutes of last year's trade period when Kennedy was staring at his phone in a bedroom at his in-law's house in Vermont South.
A change, evidently, for the better.
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