Gus Kennedy: AFL Draft Prospect Balances Sports with Arts

Gus Kennedy, an AFL Draft prospect from the Dandenong Stingrays, utilized his downtime at the National Combine to read a novel by Jack Kerouac. Despite battling flu-like symptoms leading up to the event, he managed to participate in the three-day combine.

Unlike many of his peers, Kennedy has a wide range of interests beyond football, including music and film. He enjoys exploring record shops and thrift stores in the city, and cites Silverchair, Midnight Oil, and local band The Gnomes as his favorite music. He also uses music to enhance his performance in football and to aid his studies.

Kennedy has recently developed a love for reading, having read ten books this year, inspired by his father, a former journalist and author. His coach, Nick Cox, regards him as a strong leader, attributing this to his desire for improvement and his broad worldview. At the AFL Draft Combine, Kennedy impressed with his performance, running a time trial and achieving notable results in various physical tests.