Heading into his eleventh season at the club, original GIANT Adam Kennedy is looking forward to heading back to where it all began.
The GIANTS will kick-off their 2022 AFL campaign with a round one clash against the Swans at Accor Stadium on March 19.
It will be the fifth time the two teams have met at the venue, and almost 10 years to the day since the first ever Sydney Derby was played there.
Kennedy is one of six inaugural GIANTS who played in that first ever game on March 24, 2012, and he admits a lot has changed during that time, both for the club and for AFL in NSW and ACT.
“There was about 17 debutants and I played down back in that first ever game,” Kennedy said.
“I remember I was able to get my hands on the ball a lot because the ball spent quite a lot of time down there.
“It was a bit of a strange feeling for me because I think I got high 20s (disposals), so early on I was thinking, this isn’t too bad this game. I probably haven’t got that many since, so it was definitely a unique one that’s for sure,” he laughed.
“When I look back on the last 10 years at Western Sydney and our crowds, I’ve just seen so much growth.
“Even six or seven years ago we were just scraping the surface with support and people turning up to games, but now you could be walking down the street and you’ll see a little kid in GIANTS colours – I saw that the other day – and I thought this is great.”
After missing last year’s finals series due to a hamstring injury, Kennedy has had a good pre-season out on the track as he continues his preparations for round one.
As one of the senior players in the group, he’s also enjoyed watching some of the exciting new talent that emerged during the club’s 2021 fight-back season continue to progress.
“The group’s looking really good. We’ve done some match-play the last few weeks so we’re now getting some good blocks in and starting to see where everyone is at.
“I think the best thing about last year was that we showed a lot of fight to make the finals, and then we had that awesome win against the Swans and we blooded a lot of youth in some big games, so I think that was really good for us.
“To see them come back and attack pre-season, those young guys have learnt a lot from those last five or six games and gained some confidence from that, so it’ll be exciting to see them progress into this season.
“I’m really liking what Tanner Bruhn, Ryan Angwin and Conor Stone have shown during the pre-season, and then also those guys who played quite a lot of footy last year like Isaac Cumming and Connor Idun have been great to watch.
“I think it’s going to be really tough for a spot in round one, and that’s always really good for a football club. Guys are putting their hand up, and it’s nice and competitive right now.”
With less than a month until round one, the GIANTS will play a practice match against the Swans in Albury on February 25 before an AAMI Community Series match-up with Collingwood at GIANTS Stadium on March 6.
And while there is still plenty of work to be done leading into that first bounce next month, Kennedy says there is lots of anticipation for Sydney Derby XXIII already.
“They’re the best games to play in,” he said.
“From day one I feel like the Swans had a bit of a point to prove that they owned Sydney and as the years have gone on we’ve just nudged our way in to overcome that, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job in that.
“I think all crowds add that x-factor to a game and I’m sure the Swans feel the same when they come to us, but when we go to the SCG, and the crowd starts getting into you it gets you just as motivated as when you’re at home.
“The rivalry is really healthy, so it’ll be good be good to see all our GIANTS supporters in round one and hopefully we can get the job done for them.”
Tickets for the 2022 season will go on sale in the coming weeks but GIANTS memberships are on sale now with packages available to suit everyone.
