Ben Kennedy comes full circle in NPL grand final for Lambton Jaffas

That was 17 years ago.

On Sunday, the former Jets and Mariners goalkeeper will team up again at the back with Piddington in search of another Northern NSW top-division championship.

In 2005, Kennedy and centre-back Piddington were teenagers in a Magic side which downed South Cardiff 2-1 in extra-time.

This time, the pair will be the most experienced players on the field when Jaffas take on premiers Maitland in the Northern NSW NPL men's decider at No.2 Sportsground.

"I had one when I was at Magic," Kennedy said of his grand final experiences.

"Me and Pidds actually, we were 17 I think, and we beat South Cardiff in extra-time.

"We were talking about it the other day, how our careers kind of went in different trajectories.

"I think he said he's been in seven grand finals, and then I had my career, and now we're back in the grand final again.

"It's crazy to think about it like that.

"And I think there's probably a few [Jaffas] boys who might have only just been born when we won in that other team. There's a few young ones there."

In between the deciders, Kennedy racked up 159 appearances in the A-League with Newcastle and Central Coast, winning player of the year awards at both clubs.

But his grand final experiences were restricted to sitting on the bench for the Jets in their win over Central Coast in 2008.

Piddington became a stalwart at Broadmeadow, playing 15 season and about 350 games, including six grand final victories, before joining Jaffas last season.

This year, Piddington has come back from a horror head-first collision with a post in July to inspire the Lambton backline. He had surgery to reconstruct his orbital wall with screws and plates.

"Everyone knows Pidds and what he's like and he just adds that bit of steel and toughness at the back and also with the leadership as well," Kennedy said.

"He's a massive part of the squad. Someone like him, he's great to have around. He's been really good for us."

Lambton coach Shane Pryce has praised the leadership of Kennedy and Piddington at the back in recent weeks as his side have defeated Newcastle Olympic 2-0 and Broadmeadow 2-1 to turn around their form and make the decider.

Kennedy said confidence was high in the Jaffas camp after the win over Broadmeadow last Sunday.

"We were pretty comfortable and I thought we had the better chances through the whole game," he said.

"Obviously towards the end they put a bit of pressure on us, but the Olympic game and now the Magic game have given us a lot of confidence going into the grand final.

"We're starting to hit form again, which is what you want."

On Sunday, Kennedy and Piddington will be key men as Jaffas try to stop the potent Magpies attack, which has scored 61 goals in 21 NPL games this season.

League top-scorer Braedyn Crowley, with 28 goals, and James Thompson, with 14, have formed one of the most dangerous combinations seen in the competition.

"They've been doing really well and are obviously the two main players we have to focus on and stop," Kennedy said.

"And I think if we can do that, that will go a long way to winning the game."

Kennedy, 35, has played at Jaffas since 2019 and also coaches the club's keepers. Like Piddington, he's keen to play on next season.

"It's been a lot less stressful and more relaxed, which has been enjoyable," he said of playing NPL.

"I'll maybe play another couple of years, but at the moment I feel pretty good, so why not keep doing it while I can?"

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