Kennelly forced to apologise over prank
Tadhg Kennelly has been forced to apologise to an Australian Catholic girls school and its principal after a prank backfired on the former Kerry minor footballer.
As part of the Sydney Swans' recent promotional visits, Kennelly, 24, and his team mates Lewis Roberts-Thomson and Adam Schneider made a trip to St. Mary's Star of the Sea College in Wollongong.
In front of nearly 400 Year 7 to 12 students, Roberts-Thomson was asked what his most embarrassing moment was at a question-and-answer session, and following a pause, Kennelly reached over to grab Roberts-Thomson's shorts and pull them down.
A remorseful Kennelly, who became the first Irishman to win an AFL Grand Final last September, explained: "We had been swimming previously and I knew Lewie (Roberts-Thomson) had speedos on, but all the same it was totally inappropriate and a very stupid thing to do.
“That split second before I did it, I thought it would be funny and seconds later I wondered what I had done.”
Kennelly has sinced apologised to the school, its principal Fay Gurr and the students.
Mindful of the image that the 2005 AFL champions must portray, Sydney spokesman Stephen Brassell said of the incident, which is known as "dacking" in Australia: "There was a bit of gasp for about a second or so and then everybody laughed.
"But it was certainly no laughing matter as far as the club is concerned and Tadhg realises that."
Kennelly is expected to sit out the Swans' NAB Cup opener against the Kangaroos on February 25 as coach Paul Roos rests a number of senior stars ahead of the Premiership's start in April.
