Kennelly is repaying Roos

TADHG KENNELLY yesterday revealed the role Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos played in his decision to return to the AFL after winning an All-Ireland with Kerry.

Roos will end his ten-year tenure as Sydney boss this season, and Kennelly admitted the coach had become a ‘father figure’ since the death of his own dad, Tim.

And he admitted he felt obliged to repay Roos by playing again this year.

“We’ve got a great relationship and it was obviously part of the decision in my mind that it was his last year,’ Kennelly told RTÉ. “Him and (assistant coach) George Stone have been the two biggest influences on my career. He has enabled me to express myself in football and really express my opinions on and off the field. Probably the biggest thing was when I did lose my father it was Roosy saying how there’s bigger things in life you lose than football. He was a big influence and stepped up to be a father figure for me since my father passed.”

However, Kennelly was stressed his decision was not a purely sporting one. “A lot of it is a lifestyle decision, too. I don’t think I will ever take being a player in the AFL for granted.”