It has taken Donegal's Tanya Kennedy just four senior AFLW matches to establish herself as one of the Sydney Swans key defenders.
Robert Emmet's clubwoman Kennedy (30) migrated to Australia in 2012 to play Gaelic football for Clanna Gael in Sydney before joining the Inner West Magpies for a season.
Earlier this month, Kennedy played a pivotal role for the Swans in the first AFLW victory in their history when they defeated local rivals Greater Western Sydney 56-41 in the Sydney derby.
The Swans, who were an expansion side last year, celebrated the milestone with Kennedy as one of the mainstays of their defensive improvement.
“I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t even know if I was going to play this season, it’s all happened so fast but I’m loving every minute of it,” said Kennedy.
Off the field, Kennedy has swapped her football boots for a fluorescent jacket to work as a traffic controller on the streets of Sydney.
“It takes up a lot of time,” she revealed.
“It’s pretty tough, the hours are massive, you’re on your feet all day.
“It’s not an ideal job for an athlete. It’s tough work.”
“In an ideal world we would like to not work, so we can focus fully on football.”
Read more:
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- Donegal's Tanya Kennedy signs AFLW contract with Sydney Swans
The AFL Players Association (AFLPA) is proposing that all AFLW players become full-time athletes by 2026 but until then Kennedy has no choice but to undertake paid employment to support herself financially. Its a tough grind but she is no quitter.
“You could be getting up at 5.30am in the morning and working until 6.30pm that night,” she explained.
“When I have footy training, I have to leave work early, then I’m rushing into the club, throwing on the boots and straight out to training, trying to switch on to footy and get the head in the game.
“It makes us more tired to be honest.
“I’d like for work not to affect us, but of course it does. Whatever job I have it’s still taking energy and then I don’t have as much energy to put into what I love, the game and training.”
And Kennedy added:
“I want to be 100% all the time to train at my best but when I’m up working or working the night shift, then I just don’t have it.”
Under the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the average wage for AFLW players will increase from AUD$46,000 (£24,200) to AUD$82,000 (£43,100) from 2027.