AFL

Matt Kennedy is ready to make an impact after an injury interrupted season in 2018 Recruited in to help Patrick Cripps in the midfield, Kennedy was hampered by his lack of a pre-season in 2018 combined with a fresh ankle injury that he sustained in his first game for the club that never seemed to get better. Speaking to Carlton media this week, Kennedy was lively in his discussion about the season ahead. “There’s a great excitement amongst the group and we’re excited to get stuck into Round 1 really,” he said. “I’ve got my old mate ‘Setters’ (Will Setterfield) from the Giants as well now and Sammy Walsh and Zac Fisher – there’s a few of us boys who have started to ramp up the training now. Before Christmas we had a really good solid block. “The start of pre-season has been a really good indicator for us that we’re going places as a midfield group and a team. The exciting bit of it is we’re all growing and learning together." The club are hoping that Kennedy can have a much better output in 2019 compared to the 12 games he played in 2018. Many players talk about how much a full pre season can improve their output in what is a gruelling season on the body. “I had the one ankle surgery during the off-season, which was a really good success. It all went well and I’m back into full training now," he said. “The body is feeling great now. I’ve done all of the pre-season training so far. I’m excited to make up for last year and have a really good crack this year and stay injury-free."