I wasn't good enough to be a Hawk: Kennedy

EVEN when the Swans have been playing badly, Josh Kennedy has been well... well enough to be mentioned as a genuine chance for the Brownlow Medal.

EVEN when the Swans have been playing badly, Josh Kennedy has been well... well enough to be mentioned as a genuine chance for the Brownlow Medal.

Good enough to walk into any team in the AFL and dominate the midfield, just as he has done for the Swans this year.

Good enough to be one of the star performers in Supercoach, never failing to accrue more than 100 points a match in the stats-driven fantasy footy competition.

And undoubtedly good enough to make Hawthorn fans scratch their heads as to why their club let this third generation Hawk walk away.

Kennedy, though, has an easy explanation.

"They just didn't have a spot for me," Kennedy told The Daily Telegraph. "They had a midfield with a lot of players similar to me and they'd just come off a premiership."

The 23-year-old played just 13 games in his three years at the Hawks as he struggled for selection behind the likes of Sam Mitchell, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell and Michael Osborne.

"Clarko (Hawthorn coach Alistair Clarkson) was very honest with me at the time saying there were too many good players ahead of me and of the same ilk," Kennedy said.

Players struggling to fulfill their potential at other clubs is a specialty area for the Sydney Swans recruiters.

Kennedy is just the latest example of a rich vein the Swans have exploited better than anyone else in the AFL.

Shane Mumford, Rhyce Shaw, Marty Mattner, Darren Jolly and Craig Bolton are other examples of the Sydney success stories.

Kennedy has made steady progress in his three years at the Swans.

The ability to go forward and kick goals combined with more consistency has put Kennedy in the elite class alongside the biggest names in the game including Gary Ablett, Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan, Chris Judd and Joel Selwood.

The Kennedy name is as famous as any at Glenferrie. Josh's grandfather John Sr coached Hawthorn to three premierships including their first in 1961. Josh's father John Jr played in four premierships in the Hawks' golden era of the 1980's.

But the AFL's current Kennedy says the family name never added any extra burden: "I didn't really feel much pressure at Hawthorn, the supporters, my family and the coaching staff were very good in that regard," Kennedy said.

The Swans will need another stand out performance from their stoppage specialist this Sunday against the resurgent Western Bulldogs who boast one of the most improved midfields in the competition.

"Our performance last week was ordinary, we've had a confronting couple of days which were warranted and needed," Kennedy said.

The Bulldogs boast a trio of impressive midfielders in their engine room and Kennedy's clash with Matthew Boyd, Daniel Cross and Ryan Griffin is sure to have a big bearing on the outcome.

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