He’d kicked two goals in the game against Greater Western Sydney in the club’s second NAB Challenge match, but an awkward landing late in the game proved a cruel blow for the emerging youngster.
"I jumped up and fell a little awkwardly, and I didn't know how bad it was,” Kennedy told kangaroos.com.au.
“Because I hadn't had a serious knee injury before I had no idea what to think.
"It was strange, after I landed there was a very sharp pain and then there was nothing at all until I tried to put some weight on it. So I could just lie there and not feel it, but once I tried to put anything on it it was no good.”
The club doctor’s quickly diagnosed it as a season-ending knee injury, and the long road to recovery began.
Kennedy describes the moments immediately after his surgery as some of the toughest he's experienced.
"Overnight in hospital was probably the worst night's sleep of my life, with the nurse checking in with a torch every 10 minutes,” Kennedy added.
“The first two weeks were very hard. I was home on the couch with everyone doing everything for me because I wasn't allowed to move."
Even harder to swallow was the fact he’d be stuck on the sidelines while his team-mates were living the dream on the field.
"For the first three months I didn't run at all and then after that it was all about strengthening the muscles around the knee that had wasted away just after the injury. It was really tough work."
Almost a year has passed since he suffered the injury and his persistence is starting to be rewarded. Since the players’ returned from the Christmas break, Kennedy has been able to join the main group in training.
After a long period away from the rigors of full training, the natural response would be to dive head-first back into the flow. Yet the level-headed Kennedy realises that there still is a lot more to be done.
"It feels good to be back out there with the boys, but I just have to work on a bit more agility and a bit more jumping and then get stuck into some tackling."
It may be Kennedy's unique situation that has kept his focus so sharp. When his contract expired at the end of the 2011 season, the coaching staff elected to offer him a new one-year deal despite his injury.
“He (Ayden) earned the right to a contract extension through his terrific application to his rehabilitation,” Chief of Football Donald McDonald said.
“The opportunity is certainly still there for Ayden to show he can be a senior player for us in the future."
That confidence from the club’s football hierarchy is something Kennedy is extremely grateful for.
"I'm looking to make the most of that opportunity (being re-signed). It was great for the coaches to show the faith in me after I was pretty unlucky in my first couple of years with injuries and give me another chance."
Now that he is close to full fitness, Kennedy recognises the importance of the 2012 season and will do all he can to make it a successful one.
"I have to focus on keeping my body right, breaking into the senior side over the course of the season and repaying the faith the coaches have shown in me."
