Giants Buntine and Kennedy ready to face Pies after last year’s nightmare knee injuries
THIS time last year, Matt Buntine and Adam Kennedy were about as far away from the AFL as they could possibly get, both recovering from knee reconstructions on holidays in Spain and Croatia. It’ll be a different story on Saturday.
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THIS time last year Matt Buntine and Adam Kennedy were about as far away from the AFL as they could possibly get
The Giants pair were taking in the Sagrada Familia and Nou Camp in Barcelona and sailing in Croatia, both recovering from knee reconstructions and trying to put some mental and physical space between their rehab and enjoy some of the good things in life.
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Tomorrow night they will be centre stage in the biggest cauldron in Australian sport when they take on Collingwood in a semi-final at the MCG. But the A grade rest and recreation has played it’s role in their preparation for the most sternest of tests.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” Buntine said. “It’s easy to do the rehab but the mental side is the hard bit.
“To get around your teammates when they are playing and you’re not lends itself to mixed emotions, you get pretty jealous of what they are doing. It was good to remove ourselves and make a bad situation a bit better. It gave us the chance to see some of the world and enjoy a European summer which we don’t usually get the chance to.”
They listened to last year’s qualifying final loss to Adelaide on a boat in the Mediterranean but turned it off at half time when the Crows were well up.
But the high-life in Europe was short lived as the duo returned to Sydney to get into their pre-season before everybody else.
“After that trip we sacrificed our off-season to toil away here in the gym and on the track,” Buntine said.
“I liked sailing in Croatia and travelling in Europe but nothing beats playing finals footy. To be on the MCG 12 months later playing in our first finals there is pretty special. We had always hoped we would be back playing at that level but you are never guaranteed anything in footy.”
It’s appropriate Buntine is sharing the moment with Kennedy, they are Giants originals who started in 2012 and were part of the club’s first ever win against Gold Coast in round seven in Canberra.
Since then they’ve both had their runs of outs with injury and form and have struggled to rack up the games like some of their teammates. Kennedy will be playing in his 92nd against the Magpies and Buntine just his 50th.
Their knee reconstructions came within weeks of each other last year.
“Adam has inspired me,” Buntine said.
“My first game back against the Bombers in round 10 wasn’t great but to see him and come in and play so well against Richmond gave me a lot of confidence. It reminded me about the level of work we have done together and how it stands up at this level.
We push each other and drive each other to be the best we can. It’s great to have a partner in that journey and to be playing alongside him in the backline and know we’ve been on the same path.”
Originally published as Giants Buntine and Kennedy ready to face Pies after last year’s nightmare knee injuries
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