Tadhg Kennelly

Kerry's Tadhg Kennelly has revealed that his controversial challenge on Cork's Nicholas Murphy in the opening seconds of this year's All-Ireland SFC final was a premeditated act intended to lay down a marker to the Rebels.

Kerry had earlier been beaten by Conor Counihan's men in the Munster semi-final and Kennelly and his Kingdom team-mates were anxious to ensure they were not beaten by their perennial rivals for a second time in three months.

Now Kennelly, in his autobiography, titled 'Unfinished Business', admits that the high and dangerous challenge on the unsuspecting Murphy was planned before the throw-in.

In excerpts quoted in today's Sunday Independent, the former Sydney Swan Australian Rules player reveals: 'My theory was that I really wanted to set the tone for our side. We wanted Cork to know that we were a totally different animal to the one they'd faced three months earlier.

'As we got to our positions, I looked across at (Paul) Galvin, who nodded, and then positioned myself on the line ready to race in when the referee put the ball in the air. My eyes were almost rolling around in the back of my head. I was like a raging bull.'

He says he 'timed it right' and caught Murphy 'perfectly on the chin'.

According to Kenneally, his message was: 'Cop that. It's different this time, boys.'

Referee Marty Duffy awarded a free to Cork at the time and the Central Competition Controls Committee (CCCC) examined footage of the incident after the final and decided not to ask Duffy to review his decision.

He should be ashamed of himself. Why come out with this now? If he got away with why not let sleeping dogs lie? Why draw unnecessary criticism on himself? Hope Murphy knocks his block off when they meet in the league. Disgrace.

Shinners wrote:Why come out with this now? If he got away with why not let sleeping dogs lie? Why draw unnecessary criticism on himself?

To sell his book. Simple as that. In order to get the Sunday-Paper-Excerpt thing going, you need to have a few tasty little tales.

Shinners wrote:Kerry's Tadhg Kennelly has revealed that his controversial challenge on Cork's Nicholas Murphy in the opening seconds of this year's All-Ireland SFC final was a premeditated act intended to lay down a marker to the Rebels.

. Disgrace.

Now what's his un-deserved All-Star worth????? Shmefull and neuseating.....

Of course it wasw premeditated. We already knew that, it happened after 3 seconds.

I prefer hurling where Eoin Kelly of Waterford hit Walsh before the game.

i didnt particularly have much time for him before this now i have even less.

Since his arrival back on these shores its as if we should all be eternally grateful for his decision to return to Ireland and turn his back on €300k and that we almost owed him something. He then admits to a premeditated attack on an opponent and going from the way he described it it seems that it may have more than his own decision to do it - very brave indeed Tadgh. But of course as he is the new golden boy of Gaelic football we should ignore the tackle and let it be, no chance of him having to answer any charges from it.

Much the same as Galvin getting POTY, its as if he was owed it too because he happened to miss out on lifting SAM last year. POTY my arse he wasnt even the best player on the Kerry panel, Tomas O' Se was the man who dug them out of more holes than Galvin did all year. But then its almost one rule for the Kingdom and a different set for the rest of us.

And Jack O' Connor had the cheek to call Northern footballers 'full of themselves' ..............

Kerry struggled against Antrim bu McCarthy was awesome, closely followed by Galvin. Tomas was not playing.

Galvin also did the damage in the other qualifiers, and had a good final.

But it was his calming influence on the team that won him the accolade. Nark O'Se waS GONME AGAINST aNTRIM ONLY FOR gALVIN, AND HE SAVED tOMAS AS WELL IN ANOTHER GAME. #

I have hit caps lock again and I am too lazy to fix it.

Seems to have been a lot of fawning over this guy since he came back alright. Perhaps his Dad's legacy and premature death has afforded Tadhg a lot of sympathy etc but he is using it all up fairly quickly...

Hes the new Jayo (the real one not the virtual one) the new media pony.
Think this bucko is smarter than given credit for.
No such thing as bad publicity and showing he can still "mix it" the Aussie love that .
Options open to return as a coach etc

JimWexford wrote:Hes the new Jayo (the real one not the virtual one) the new media pony.
Think this bucko is smarter than given credit for.
No such thing as bad publicity and showing he can still "mix it" the Aussie love that .
Options open to return as a coach etc

All Kerry folk are smart - one hand out to greet you - the other in your pockets ...

you can sing that especially if there is a celtic cross in it for them.
Whats the road in Tralee with more medals than nearly the rest of the country, Stack st tara road (I can't remember)

JimWexford wrote:you can sing that especially if there is a celtic cross in it for them.
Whats the road in Tralee with more medals than nearly the rest of the country, Stack st tara road (I can't remember)

I think its Rock St????

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

JimWexford wrote:you can sing that especially if there is a celtic cross in it for them.
Whats the road in Tralee with more medals than nearly the rest of the country, Stack st tara road (I can't remember)

I think its Rock St????

That sounds right

Jack O' Connor has apparently expressed his 'disappointment' at Kennellys revelation that his tackle was intentional saying it certainly was not part of their 'modus operandi'. Not too sure if that would be an accurate statement or not. The fact that Kennelly said Galvin nodded at him as the ball was about to be thrown in gives me the impression that whilst O' Connor may not have known about there was some sort of pact between some Kerry players to lay down a marker early doors.

No manager is ever going to say he knew about these things - or that he possibly encouraged them! Think Sean B ....... and Mickey H!!

Football is going down a dark road. To intentionally go out and hurt someone and then tell the media about it is a disgrace. GAA should act on this. 2 Referee's must be introduced to the game, 1 ref isnt enough to deal with such incidents and the players are taking full advantage.

GAA-Fan wrote:Football is going down a dark road. To intentionally go out and hurt someone and then tell the media about it is a disgrace. GAA should act on this.

I'd imagine as an Armagh fan you are finding these revelations quite shocking alright .........

Oh! And be careful when dismounting that high horse - its a long way down...

cant condone the man or anything but really lads its as if ye never seen this sort of stuff before, it happens in every club game county game eveerywhere, it may be just the few whispers in the guys ear because you no it will put him off or he will react and get sent off, or it maybe the few diggs in the back or whatever, who bloody cares, every one of you all have at some point in the past 2-2years that i have known ye have defended one of yer own against a backlash of public or gaa-board outcry,

evey last one of ye have done it, the only thing the man did that was any different to what we have seen before is that he was stupid or smart enough depending on which side ure looking at to write it in his book.

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

GAA-Fan wrote:Football is going down a dark road. To intentionally go out and hurt someone and then tell the media about it is a disgrace. GAA should act on this.

I'd imagine as an Armagh fan you are finding these revelations quite shocking alright .........

Oh! And be careful when dismounting that high horse - its a long way down...

Armagh were punished whenever they did anything wrong, not only that some players were incorrectly punished too, and they certainly didnt go to the media saying they intentionally done it. How stupid is he?

Armagh arent as bad as anyone else. Dublin arent saints either.

Rich its not breaking news i agree but as Boxty said its the fact he went public with it and almost bragged about it like he was some hero for doing it and a bigger hero for admitting to it. Next year if he happens to get taken out during a clash with Cork i hope he doesn't scratch his head and ask 'what was that for?'

I know its all to sell books but i find it sickening myself to gloat about that.

Incidentally i played football/hurling for well over 20 years and never once did i hit anyone in a premeditated attack - in fact i only ever hit one guy and that was during a hurling match, he was a school colleague who thought he would act the big man in front of his mates one night. I warned him 3 times what he was gonna get if he didn't stop hitting me in the ribs with his hurl, but it was like talking to myself so i give him a few digs in the ribs - he wasn't long learning a few manners after that.

Every GAA game I have ever seen or played in has had markers laid down. We always have the "mating" dance at throw in, especially the hurling. So Kennelly decided to hit Murphy with a heavy shoulder at the start. Happens all the time.

When I reflect on my own career I sometimes wonder why I never fouled anyone, or pulled anyone's jersey. It was just something you didn't do. Mind you it would also have been dangerous.

The only time I got sent off in Antrim was when someone started that blocking you off as you tried to move up the field with the ball nowhere near. A hurl forced into the mouth moved him, but I was harshly sent off.

I think I hinted at this on another thread Bo, but could I take it Kennelly is not your favourite?

Personally I find him to be rather arrogant, unlike Galvin who is quiet and retiring.

Jayo was a great lad, the media created his personna, not him.

patrique wrote:I think I hinted at this on another thread Bo, but could I take it Kennelly is not your favourite?

Personally I find him to be rather arrogant, unlike Galvin who is quiet and retiring.

Jayo was a great lad, the media created his personna, not him.

P i agree totally with your thoughts on Kennelly though i wouldnt agree with your sentiments re Galvin. Kennelly came abck and its as if we should all have been grateful he graced us with his presence, and now he is talking about f**king back of to OZ now that he has ticked the box of winning an All Ireland.

And now he is saying that he didn't proof-read HIS autobiography and that he was misconstrued! Gulp - like he didn't write his own biography! He is making a real fool out of himself now. He should have let it go - tomorrow's chip paper - now he is raking it all up again and trying to slither out of it. Between that and the cheap early hit - No cojones!

ps I wonder did Donal Og poof-read his own biography!

Biographies and auto-bis are like that.

I became rich over Roy Keane's book. On the front cover it said "The TRUTH".

When challenged about the revelations in the book in relation to Haaland, they both said, "Lads, it's a book, full of lies".

I sued under the trade descriptions act and settled for a seven figure sum.

Jayo Cluxton wrote:
ps I wonder did Donal Og poof-read his own biography!

I have zero respect for Kennelly, read an article about him in the Irish News and the picture of him Irish dancing in the HS disgusted me.