Debut : Round 5 2018 vs Adelaide
Carlton Player No. 39
Games : 4
Goals : 0
Last Game: Round 7 2018 vs Fremantle
Guernsey No.: 23
Height : 175 cm (5; 9")
DOB : 23 September, 1999.
Bridie Kennedy plays in the ruck and was the Blues fourth and final pick in the 2017 AFLW National Draft taken with pick 35. With a bright pink ribbon tied around her high pony tail – so her grandfather can clearly see her – Blues fans won’t miss Bridie Kennedy when she runs out for Carlton next season. In only her second year playing Aussie Rules, Kennedy won the inaugural TAC Cup Girls best-and-fairest award – highlighting her talent and natural ability. The high-leaping ruck was named vice-captain of the Dandenong Stingrays this season, with her coach Dee Longwill saying she brought “laughter and leadership” to the side. Women’s senior coach Damien Keeping said he was “rapt” to secure Kennedy’s talents. “We are delighted Bridie will wear the navy blue next season,” Keeping said. “She’s a very determined young player who is always looking to improve and has potential leadership qualities – we’re really excited to see what she’ll bring to the team.” “She’s an elite athlete and she’s a wonderful character. To be able to get her at the number that we did, we were incredibly pleased. We think she’s going to thrive in our environment.”
She played junior representative football with the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup Girls competition where she was a co-winner of the league's best and fairest award in 2017. She also played state league football that year with Cranbourne in the VFL Women's competition and previously played local junior football with Dromana. Kennedy was drafted by Carlton with their fourth selection and the 36th pick overall in the 2017 AFL Women's draft. She made her debut in a 73-point loss to Western Bulldogs at VU Whitten Oval in round 4 of the 2018 season. Kennedy was delisted at the end of the 2019 season.
Dromana 18-year-old Bridie Kennedy becomes an AFLW player after being drafted by Carlton
DROMANA’S Bridie Kennedy likened the AFLW draft to an emotional rollercoaster ride. She had to be patient, enduring almost an hour of “stress” before Carlton drafted her with its last pick. The moment she became a Blue, Kennedy was bombarded with hugs and kisses from her grandma, two grandpas and parents who were with her at Docklands. “We were all very stressed throughout the draft but they are very happy now, they can sleep easy tonight,’’ Kennedy said on Wednesday night. “I’ve had so many messages form old coaches and friends, it’s been amazing.’’ Kennedy said she was rapt to join Carlton. “I’m very happy about that,” she said. “I really had no idea this morning, but I didn’t think Carlton. They didn’t think it either. They were saying I’d probably be gone by the time it was their pick so yeah I felt like they were a bit shocked I was there as well. I’m very happy they picked me up.” Kennedy, who turned 18 earlier this month, has had a meteoric rise in football since crossing over from basketball three years ago. Starting out with Dromana’s youth girls side at 15, she then made her mark with the Dandenong Stingrays, jointly winning the TAC Cup league best and fairest award. This year Kennedy played in the VFL Women’s with Cranbourne, impressing with her running power and athleticism. She shone at the AFLW Draft Combine last week, winning the 2km time trial and the Yo-Yo test, a high-intensity modification on the beep test. Life is definitely not boring for Bridie Kennedy. She turned 18 a fortnight ago, got her driving licence, was drafted and sits her first VCE exam in two weeks. “So everything’s going very good at the moment,” she said. Kennedy is in Year 12 at Padua College — and remarkably is in the same class as Hunter Clark, who is expected to be drafted into the AFL next month. “Hunter is in my home room actually,” Kennedy said. “So hopefully we get two AFL players out of my home room.” Kennedy played representative basketball with Southern Peninsula Sharks before a friend, Anna Gibbs, urged her to have a shot at footy. “One of my friends dragged me into it, she said you’d be really good playing footy,’’ Kennedy said. “I said, ‘okay I’ll give it a shot’, and I just fell in love with it straight away. I quit basketball and just focused on football and I’m no happy I did. “I want to thank Anna Gibbs, a shout out to her!” Carlton women’s coach Damien Keeping was delighted to secure Kennedy. “She’s an elite athlete and she’s a wonderful character. To be able to get her at the number that we did, we were incredibly pleased. We think she’s going to thrive in our environment,” he said. Simon McEvoy, Mornington Peninsula Leader.
Kennedy: I've learnt so much
Youngster Bridie Kennedy believes there has been plenty to learn from the Blues’ inconsistent second AFLW season. Carlton travel interstate for the final game of their home-and-away campaign when it plays Fremantle on Saturday afternoon at Fremantle Oval. Reflecting on her debut year in the AFLW system, the 18-year-old said there was a number of key takeaways from the season. “It’s not the exact result we wanted, but it’s just a learning curve for us. Hopefully next season we can find ways to improve and implement new methods,” Kennedy said. “As a team, improving on working our lines better from our midfielders getting it to the forwards and ensuring the backline remains strong will hold us in great stead for next year." The teenage utility is eager to improve on her three games this season, which saw her contribute impressively to the Blues’ backline. She hopes to continue to build her fitness levels, which Kennedy believes is key to taking her game to new heights ahead of the next year of the competition. “For me personally I want to continue my running capacity, getting my fitness up and gaining more strength to be out there,” she told Carlton Media. “It’s been such a different experience, definitely the physicality has been a major factor. I have to find ways to make sure I’m a bigger body on the field so I don’t get bashed around,” she laughs. “I felt like I’ve made some sort of an impact in the backline and hopefully that’s evident.” In Round 4, the Dandenong Stingrays alumni got a last-minute call-up to the side after Katie Loynes was a late withdrawal. Kennedy recalls the moment when coach Damien Keeping told her the news that she was to debut in the navy blue. “It was such a last minute call-up against the Bulldogs, but I felt like I was mentally prepared and loved it,” she said. “About 15 minutes before the game he (Damien Keeping) called me over and said ‘Bridie you know how I said earlier in the week this might be your chance? Well it’s your opportunity now and you're going to be out there'," she smiles. “I was still wearing my polo, I had to quickly get changed and run out onto the field." In the AFLW off-season, the inaugural TAC Cup best-and-fairest winner will feature in Carlton’s VFLW squad, while off field she’ll continue her studies – hoping to become a PE teacher. “I’ll be playing VFLW for Carlton so that will be throughout the normal footy season,” Kennedy said. “They’ll be monitoring our workload to make sure we aren’t playing 12 months of the year, but I’m excited for VFLW this year, it’ll be good. “It’s my third week of uni, it’s going well so far, I’m studying physical activity and health science so hopefully it leads to becoming a PE teacher.” - Nicholas Mirarchi, Carlton Media.
Kennedy was recruited from the Dandenong Stingrays.
Kennedy re-joined the AFLW in June 2022, when she was signed by expansion club Sydney