The Duke of Sussex took part in a kickaround with children and players at the team’s headquarters at Mission Whitten Oval in Footscray, Melbourne on day two of his Australia visit and proved to fans that he has a “six out of 10” ability to punt the football.
Western Bulldogs trio Matthew Kennedy, Tom Liberatore and Adam Treloar had some one-on-one time with the former royal on the field.
Prince Harry is seen at a Movember event at Mission Whitten Oval in Footscray. (Paul Jeffers)
After admitting he was a little starstruck, Kennedy had a measured response when asked about Harry’s skills on the field.
“I gave him a six out of 10, still a bit of an improvement to go, but he was really good, he asked us plenty of questions and it was great pleasure to meet him,” Kennedy told Nine.com.au.
“He needs to probably get the ball spinning in the right direction.
“There was a few floaters in there, so, that’s probably a start.”
The Bulldogs midfielder presented Harry with a team scarf, which the duke wore proudly for the rest of his visit.
Kennedy joked that he might convince the duke to sign up as a Bulldogs member if his team can lock in a win on Friday.
“I think that’s gonna be pretty tough, but we’ll see how we go,” he laughed.
“Maybe we get the win this weekend, we can get him across.”
Bulldogs trio Matthew Kennedy (second from right), Tom Liberatore (left) and Adam Treloar had some one-on-one time with the former royal on the field. (Paul Jeffers)
Western Bulldogs player Matthew Kennedy presented Harry with a team scarf. (Supplied)
Kennedy, who welcomed his son Theo in 2024, said the pair also bonded over fatherhood.
“We spoke about a bit about his, sporting background with rugby, [a] bit about AFL and bit about our kids and stuff, it was a great opportunity,” Kennedy said.
“You don’t get to do that every day… it’s pretty awesome.”
Earlier, Treloar told reporters he thought Harry’s visit was a “big joke” until he saw the media start setting up.
He was chosen as one the players to kick the ball with Harry only yesterday.
“I still didn’t really believe it until he came walking out,” Treloar said.
Adam Treloar said Harry was “disappointed” he was given a kid’s footy. (Supplied)
“We don’t usually get that out here in Footscray, so it’s pretty cool.”
During his visit, Harry told the players he often followed the AFL fixtures from his home in the US.
“He was a little bit disappointed that we gave him a kid’s footy,” Treloar added.
“He wanted one of the, the real ones, but he went OK.”
Harry took to the field after joining a panel on mental health hosted by Melbourne-based charity Movember.
Harry and wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are focusing on events that champion community resilience, support for the armed forces and mental health during their whirlwind four-day visit.
It’s their first visit since their 2018 royal tour, and the first since they quit the monarchy in 2020.
The couple will head to Canberra, before returning to Melbourne for a brief visit and a stop in Sydney.
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