https://www.afl.com.au/news/750018/dons ... en-to-stayBLUES MIDFIELDER TO SEEK MULTI-YEAR DEAL
CARLTON has started initial chats over a contract extension for Matt Kennedy.
The Blues midfielder is a free agent at season's end, having been delisted and re-drafted as a rookie at the end of the 2020 campaign, but has established himself as an important member of the side's midfield under new coach Michael Voss.
It's expected his enhanced reputation and his status as a free agent will likely mean Kennedy will seek a multi-year deal to tie him to the Blues for the foreseeable future, having signed short-term contracts for the last two seasons.
Kennedy won 30 or more disposals in each of the Blues' first three games this season, while he also averaged six clearances per game in that stretch, forming an exciting partnership with captain Patrick Cripps and new recruits Adam Cerra and George Hewett.
The 25-year-old dealt with soreness last week and missed the side's trip to Western Australia to face Fremantle, but is expected to recover in time for Saturday night's fixture with North Melbourne.
Kennedy, a graduate of the Giants Academy, was traded to Carlton for pick No.28 at the end of the 2017 season. But he played just 42 games in his first four years with the Blues, struggling to establish himself under both Brendon Bolton and David Teague.
He spent the 2021 season on the club's rookie list, courtesy of a one-year deal, before signing another one-year contract extension for this season after being elevated back onto its primary list. – Riley Beveridge