| Ken Kearney | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Kenneth Howard Kearney | ||
| Date of birth | 1924 | ||
| Place of birth |  Penrith, New South Wales, Australia |
||
| Date of death | 2006 | ||
| Place of death | Gold Coast, Queensland | ||
| Nickname | Killer | ||
| Occupation(s) | Insurance Sales | ||
| Rugby league career | |||
| Position | Hooker | ||
| Professional clubs | Caps | (points) | |
| 1948–1951 1952–1961 |
 Leeds RLFC, UK St George |
95 156 |
(6) (58) |
| State Representation | |||
| 1952–1958 |  New South Wales |
33 | (12) |
| National teams | |||
| 1952–1958 |  Australia |
31 | (3) |
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Hooker | ||
| Clubs | |||
| 1942&1947-48 | Parramatta Two Blues | ||
| National team(s) | Caps | (points) | |
| 1947–1948 | Australia |
7 | |
Kenneth Howard Kearney (born 3 May, 1924, died 18 August, 2006) was an Australian rugby footballer - a dual international. Penrith is a Suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench A cap is an appearance for a select team such as a school county or international team in sports Leeds Rhinos, or informally Leeds or Rhinos, are an English professional Rugby league football club based in Leeds The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in Australia State of Origin is an annual best-of-three series of Rugby league matches between the Maroons, representing the state of Queensland, and the Blues The New South Wales Rugby League team represents the state of New South Wales annually in the Rugby League State of Origin competition against arch-rivals Queensland This is a list of the men's national Rugby league teams in the world Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short A Rugby union team is made up of 15 players eight forwards numbered from 1 to 8 and seven backs numbered from 9 to 15 A Rugby union team is made up of 15 players eight forwards numbered from 1 to 8 and seven backs numbered from 9 to 15 Parramatta Two Blues Rugby are a Rugby union club based in the second CBD of Sydney Parramatta The following is a list of international Rugby union teams A cap is an appearance for a select team such as a school county or international team in sports The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in Rugby union. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Rugby football (usually just " rugby " may refer to a number of sports through history descended from a common form of Football developed at Rugby School He represented the Wallabies in 7 Tests and the Kangaroos in 31 Tests and World Cup games. The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in Rugby union. He captained Australia in 9 Rugby League Test matches in 1956 and 1957. He was a hooker and captain-coach with the St. George Dragons in the first half of their eleven year consecutive premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966. A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in Australia
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Rugby union
Kearney was born in Penrith, New South Wales. Penrith is a Suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. He joined Parramatta's 1st grade rugby union side from school before serving in the Royal Australian Air Force in WWII. Parramatta Two Blues Rugby are a Rugby union club based in the second CBD of Sydney Parramatta The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. After discharge he resumed Rugby Union and debuted for the Wallabies against the All Blacks playing two Tests in June 1947 then toured Europe in 1947-1948 playing against each of the five European rugby nations. The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in Rugby union. The All Blacks are New Zealand's national team in Rugby union, the country's National sport.
Rugby league
Club career
After a season with the Leeds Rugby League Club he returned to Australia in 1952 and joined St George. He played 156 games from 1952 to 1961, captained the club in five winning Grand Finals (as captain-coach for the latter four) and coached them to further victory in 1961. 1952 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-fifth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1961 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-fourth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney A Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sporting term used to describe a final that decides a league champion 1961 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-fourth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney
Kearney brought tactics and strategy from English rugby league and is often credited with masterminding the Dragons successful run. He was able to inspire loyalty in his players by leading from the front and to develop a level of fitness and ruthless, mistake free football. This discipline was the foundation for the famous straight line brick-wall defence that kept the St George team at the top through those years.
In 1956, the commencing year of the Dragons' record breaking run Norm Tipping had coached the team to an excellent season result of 15 wins, four losses and 1 draw but regardless would be ousted from the coaching job shortly after the grand final victory. 1956 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-ninth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. He was the loser in a power struggle with Kearney, who led the side on-field and who that year had captained Australia to a three Test whitewash of New Zealand, had captained New South Wales to state victory over Queensland, won the Sunday Telegraph's Player of the Year award and ultimately captained the Saints to premiership victory. The New Zealand national rugby league side represents New Zealand in the sport of Rugby league. The New South Wales Rugby League team represents the state of New South Wales annually in the Rugby League State of Origin competition against arch-rivals Queensland The Queensland State of Origin team is a Rugby league team representing the state of Queensland that plays in Australia's annual three-match State of Origin The St George committee chose to back Kearney's fine football brain and his advanced strategies on attack, defense and conditioning in choosing him as their captain-coach to go forward. In the process they laid the foundation for the club's eleven year premiership stranglehold.
Representative career
At the end of his first club rugby league season back in Australia with St George, Kearney was selected for the 1952 Kangaroo tour. Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian Rugby league tours of Great Britain and France Kearney played in the 3rd Test against Great Britain, all three tests against France and sixteen minor tour matches. Kearney's international rugby league debut in Bradford on 13 December 1952 saw him become Australia's 24th dual code rugby international, following Len Smith and preceding Rex Mossop. This article is about the Rugby League player for the Australian rules player and coach see Len Smith (footballer. Rex Peers 'Moose' Mossop (born 1928 in Five Dock New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league and Rugby union footballer - a dual international
He went on the 1953 tour of New Zealand playing in all three Tests and the following year represented in the inaugural World Cup in France. The New Zealand national rugby league side represents New Zealand in the sport of Rugby league. The Rugby League World Cup is an international competition contested by the men's national rugby league teams of the member nations of the Rugby League International
Following his premiership success with St George as both captain and coach, Kearney was selected as captain-coach of Australia for the 1956 trans-Tasman series against New Zealand with Clive Churchill unavailable due to injury. Clive Bernard Churchill AM ( 21 January 1927 &ndash 9 August 1985) was an Australian Rugby league footballer and coach Australia won the series 3-0 to regain the trans-Tasman trophy that the Kiwis had held since 1935.
Kearney stayed on a captain-coach for the 1956 Kangaroo tour in spite of the availability and tour selection of Churchill with whom he reportedly enjoyed an uneasy relationship. Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian Rugby league tours of Great Britain and France The touring side won all three Tests in France but lost against Great Britain 2-1. Kearney played in all Tests on tour. He played in an exceptionally talented Australian side who win the 1957 World Cup under skipper Dick Poole and the 1958 domestic Ashes series under captain Brian Davies before retiring from international football. The Rugby League World Cup is an international competition contested by the men's national rugby league teams of the member nations of the Rugby League International Herbert Richard Poole (born 1930 in Surry Hills New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer and caoch The Ashes is the name given to the trophy awarded to the winner of Rugby league test series between Great Britain and Australia. Brian Davies may refer to Brian Davies (actor Brian Davies (philosopher Brian Davies (rugby league, Australian
Coaching career
After retiring as a player Kearney coached the Parramatta Eels to the semi finals in 1962-1964 and was the foundation coach for the Cronulla Sharks in their first three seasons from 1967. The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney He was a Freemason and worked in insurance sales in Sydney for 25 years. He retired to the Gold Coast where he died of a heart attack aged 82. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply
Accolades
In February 2008, Kearney was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. In late 2007 the Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League commissioned 130 experts to select the 100 best rugby league players in the game's 100-year history in The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia [1]
Footnotes
- ^ Centenary of Rugby League - The Players. NRL & ARL (2008-02-23). The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Retrieved on 2008-02-23. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable
Sources
- Whiticker, Alan (2004) Captaining the Kangaroos, New Holland, Sydney
- Writer, Larry (1995) Never Before, Never Again, Pan MacMillan, Sydney
External links
- NineMSN "St George great 'Killer' Kearney dies" August 19, 2006
- St George Leagues Club Journal Tribute November 2006
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Norm Tipping 1953 |
Coach St George Dragons 1954-55 |
Succeeded by Norm Tipping 1956 |
| Preceded by Norm Tipping 1956 |
Coach St George Dragons 1957-1961 |
Succeeded by Norm Provan 1962-1965 |
| Preceded by Ron Boden 1961 |
Coach Parramatta Eels 1962-1964 |
Succeeded by Ken Thornett 1966-1966 |
| Preceded by none |
Coach Cronulla Sharks 1967-69 |
Succeeded by Tommy Bishop 1970 |
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