Tadhg Kennelly will make the decision whether or not to return to Aussie Rules by next Monday morning.
Speaking to Darragh Maloney on RTÉ Radio 1’s Sport at 7, Kennelly said that he is ‘very much 50-50 at the moment’ on if he will return to Australia.
He also admitted that he has had contract offers from a number of AFL clubs apart from Sydney Swans.
He said: ‘I have a few decisions to make. Firstly do I decide to go back and then I have to decide where I want to go.’
The decision is also leading to tensions at home with Kennelly admitting that he and his mother are ‘roaring and shouting’ at each other while trying to discuss the subject, and Kerry manager Jack O’Connor has been in contact with his brother Noel to try and get a window into his thinking.
‘One day I’m going and the next day I’m not… I almost want someone to make the decision for me,’ admitted Kennelly.
‘I’ve made a few big decisions in my life and they have all seemed to turn out alright, so I’m sure whatever I decide will be fine.’
In his first national radio interview since the controversy surrounding his autobiography, the Kerry forward admitted to being naïve with the content of the passage in the book relating to his tackle on Nicholas Murphy in the opening stages of the All-Ireland final.
‘I tried to portray the mindset of a player in his first All-Ireland final and I was probably too honest in my description of the incident. There was no way the incident was premeditated. That’s crazy stuff.’
‘In the heat of the moment I thought the tackle was ok but looking back on video I was very, very lucky to stay on the field.’
Kennelly was disappointed with the reaction of people to the description of the incident.
‘I was upset about the reaction of people without hearing my side of the story. I stayed in the house for three days. It was the most difficult period of my life since my father died.
‘Never once in my life have I gone out to intentionally injure or hurt a footballer.’
Kennelly explained that he did not have an opportunity to proof read that segment of his autobiography because the book had to be at the publishers two days after the recording of his thoughts on the All-Ireland final.
‘I had proof read the rest of the book and it was so good up to that point that I thought it would be fine.
‘I regret not reading over the passage. It was total inexperience by me. I made a mistake and I’m sure I will learn from it.’
