Matthew Kennedy has quietly been one of the better picks of the 2025 AFL fantasy season, enjoying a more central role at the Bulldogs after transferring from Carlton in the off season - and already banking a revenge win against his former mob. However, Marcus Bontempelli returns from injury today and with Adam Treloar a month or so away, Kennedy's window of job security as a full-time midfielder may be about to close. He is best 22 for the Bulldogs even when everyone is fit, but probably more as a forward rotating to the centre as he did at the Blues. A temporary hold.
Matthew Kennedy has quietly been one of the better picks of the 2025 AFL fantasy season, enjoying a more central role at the Bulldogs after transferring from Carlton in the off season - and already banking a revenge win against his former mob. However, Marcus Bontempelli returns from injury today and with Adam Treloar a month or so away, Kennedy's window of job security as a full-time midfielder may be about to close. He is best 22 for the Bulldogs even when everyone is fit, but probably more as a forward rotating to the centre as he did at the Blues. A temporary hold.
Matthew Kennedy is the man tasked with replacing Jack Silvagni in this Carlton lineup after a knee injury cruelled the season of the son of the Son Of Serge. Plugger doesn't help out in ruck much, but he has been lining up as nominal third tall forward with Tom De Koning taking the vast majority of the ruck work. Today the return of Marc Pittonet might mean Kennedy's role includes many more rotations through the centre, something which is essential to unlock his full fantasy potential. Is he good enough to play full games in the pivot for the star-studded Blues? His owners hope so.
Matthew Kennedy has spent five years on the fringes at GWS and then Carlton, often asked to play forward roles when his one-wood has always been stoking the fires in the engine room. He finally got the keys to the T-Bird in the second half of 2021 and has delivered some gaudy numbers, including a complete game against Port Adelaide last week. Fantasy coaches always look for late surges as a player flicks the switch, and in Kennedy we may well be looking at the next Jack Steele. That is a high bar to clear, but that's his fantasy ceiling.
Matthew Kennedy is one of a large number of ex-Giants now at Carlton, and the track record of these players has not been great. Kennedy was tried in the guts at the start of his Blue career then moved to the forward line, not impressing in either position for any extended length of time. Last week, however, he was brought back in to the side and left in the engine room all game, and delivered his best performance for the club to set up a big win. Has something clicked and can we expect this as the new normal, or will he revert to spudliness? Fantasy coaches wonder.
Plugger a bit sluggish
Ex-Giant Matthew Kennedy's second season in blue barely hit the pass mark. After being brought in for midfield toughness, his lack of speed proved a hindrance. He found his feet in the forward 50, kicking 11 goals from his final eight games, albeit four of those coming against Gold Coast. Fantasy-wise, Kennedy hurt many of us who wrongly thought he could take it to the next level. Kennedy doesn't seem to fit in within the Carlton midfield and barely finds a place in attack, despite giving himself the nickname of Plugger. He'll be in and out of the squad as needed so don't expect much from him other than a free tease. There's a reason the Giants got rid of him... choose someone else instead.
Kennedy's relaunch codes
It was all set up for Matthew Kennedy to have a breakout last season in his first at Carlton after a transfer from the Giants, but an ankle injury in round 1 dogged him throughout the campaign resulting in August surgery. He was used forward in some games where he clearly lacked match fitness, though he showed his potential in round 18 with 29 touches and his first fantasy ton against the Hawks. Continuity is the keyword for Kennedy this season: if he can find it, we can find out what his ceiling is in year four. He is the sort of promising young player who could come from the clouds to hold down a starting position at the back end of your midfield and go some way towards winning you your league, and you will only need a flier pick to secure him. Keep an eye on his form in the JLT.
Kennedy is a scrapper
Carlton have traded a lot of spuds in from GWS, to be brutally honest. Matthew Kennedy is probably not one of them. His senior form last season across 16 games was variable, rotating between forward line and midfield, and he could not reproduce his NEAFL numbers of 32 touches and 117 fantasy points per game. His startable scores tended to feature more marks and/or tackles, as he reached 20 disposals only four times. There are similarities to the Jack Steele story with Kennedy, and it was fellow ex-Giant Steele's third year when he hit his breakout as he was given more time in the middle at St Kilda. Kennedy is starting from further back, and Carlton's need for good mid/forwards means he might play that role again instead of joining the midfield full time. He has big upside nonetheless, and should merit a middle-round pick.
