Returning Irishman Tadhg Kennelly has vowed to repay the Swans' faith in him, insisting he'll be an even better player next season after fulfilling his lifelong dream of winning an All-Ireland final for county Kerry.

Having left the Swans on the eve of the 2009 AFL season, Kennelly claimed Gaelic football's biggest prize in his first attempt.

The 28-year-old, who agreed to a new two-year deal with the club late last week, arrived in Sydney on Tuesday night and joined his team-mates for a light run on Wednesday morning.

Speaking to the Sydney media for the first time since his return, Kennelly conceded his desire to return to Ireland played on his mind throughout his initial 158-game stint with the club.

But he insists he's now far more 'settled' and ready to focus solely on the Swans.

"The club has been an unbelievable support for me and I feel I have a massive loyalty to the club," Kennelly said.

"I owe them a lot and I feel I'll be a much, much better player personally because I don't have that drawcard of going back anymore."

"I feel that weight's off my shoulders. I feel like I can express myself a lot more and just go at it."

"There's times when I was going to games here in Australia and I was thinking, 'God, I wish I was going to Croke Park and playing with Kerry,' but that weight's well off my shoulders now and I feel like I can move on and really express myself as a footballer."

While his return to Ireland has left him mentally refreshed, Kennelly, who was plagued with knee and shoulder injuries in his first stint with the Swans insists the year away from the AFL has also been a blessing for his battered body.

"I feel like I'm 25-26 years of age again because I didn't pick up any injuries over there," he said.

"It's drastically a lot more running involved in the game over there and there is body contact but it's not as severe because you don't have to tackle."

"And that's probably the best thing for my body, it's been superb, physically I feel great, the shoulder's fantastic and I can't wait to get a good pre-season under my belt."

The 28-year-old admits the decision to return to Australia - possibly for good - was extremely difficult but expressed his excitement at the chance to have a second stint with the club.

"This is probably