Matthew Kennedy

Matthew Kennedy

A powerful key defender/utility player from the Gold Coast who played a total of 180 AFL games for the Brisbane Bears/Lions from 1990-2001. Son of ex-St.Kilda defender Des Kennedy, who missed the club’s 1966 premiership side through injury, he was in Melbourne and moved to Queensland aged eight. 

Played junior football at Surfers Paradise and Southport, was a Queensland U17 representative, and after tasting QAFL premiership success with Southport in 1989 as a 19-year-old made his AFL debut the following year. 

Boasting long, curly blonde locks and renowned for his thumping long kick, he was a member of the Bears' 1991 Reserves premiership side before becoming a valuable senior player. Best served at centre half back, he also played at times on the week and was a makeshift ruckman and was one of only nine players to play 100 senior games for the club during the Bears era. Carrying a trademark shaved head in his latter days, he was sixth in the Bears B&F in 1993 and Best Clubman in 1996 after a key role in the club’s first preliminary final side. 

Finished 3rd in the Lions B&F and won the ‘Most Professional Player Award’ in '98 and narrowly missed All-Australian selection in ’99. Wore Origin colors for Queensland, Queensland/NT and the Allies but sadly he missed the chance to enjoy the premiership glory that he help to build. 

He played eight senior games in the club’s first premiership year of 2001, including the preliminary final, but made way for Alastair Lynch’s inclusion in the grand final after suspension. Was later an assistant-coach at Southport before rejoining the Lions as strength and conditioning coach.