Ken Kearney

Not to be confused withKen Kearney (rugby league, born 1958).

Ken Kearney

Personal information
Full name	Kenneth Howard Kearney
Born	(1924-05-03)3 May 1924 Penrith,New South Wales,Australia
Died	18 August 2006(2006-08-18)(aged 82) Gold Goast,Queensland,Australia
Playing information
Rugby union
Position	Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1942–48 Parramatta Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1947–48 Australia 7
Rugby league
Position	Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1948–51 Leeds 95 2 0 0 6 1952–61 St. George 156 18 2 0 58 Total 251 20 2 0 64 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1952–58 New South Wales 17 4 0 0 12 1952–58 Australia 31 3 0 0 9
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1954-55, 1957–61 St. George 141 113 2 26 80 1962–64 Parramatta 59 35 2 22 59 1965 Western Suburbs 18 6 0 12 33 1967–69 Cronulla-Sutherland 66 14 1 51 21 Total 284 168 5 111 59 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 1956–57 Australia 9 7 0 2 78
Source: As of 10 January 2016

Kenneth Howard "Killer" Kearney(3 May 1924 – 18 August 2006) was an Australianrugby footballer– adual-code internationalplayer – and arugby leaguecoach.He represented theWallabiesin sevenTests,and theKangaroosin thirty-one Test matches andWorld Cup games.He captained Australia in ninerugby league Test matchesin 1956 and 1957. He was ahookerand captain-coach with theSt. George Dragonsin the first half of their eleven-year consecutive premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966. He is considered one of Australia's finest footballers of the 20th century.

Biography

Kearney was born inPenrith, New South Wales.He joinedParramatta's 1st grade rugby unionside from school before serving in theRoyal Australian Air Forcein World War II and represented Combined Services in rugby union.

Rugby union career

After discharge from the Air Force he resumed playing rugby union in Australia and débuted for the Wallabies against theAll Blacksplaying two Tests in June 1947 then went on the1947–48 Australian rugby union tour of Europe and North America,playing against each of the five European rugby union nations.

Rugby league career

Kearney circa 1952

Kearney returned to England at the end of the Wallabies tour and switched to the professional code ofrugby league.After three seasons withLeedshe returned to Australia in 1952 and joinedSt George.He was captain-coach between 1954 and 1955, and later between 1957 and 1961.

At the end of his first club rugby league season back in Australia with St George, Kearney was selected for the 1952Kangaroo tour.Kearney's international rugby league début in Bradford on 13 December 1952 saw him become Australia's 24th dual code rugby international, followingLen Smith,and precedingRex Mossop.Kearney played in the 3rdTestagainstGreat Britain,all three tests againstFrance,and sixteen minor tour matches. He is listed on theAustralian Players Registeras Kangaroo No.302.He went on the 1953 tour ofNew Zealandplaying in all three Tests and the following year represented in the1954 Rugby League World Cup,the first ever, in France.

In1956,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 thegrand finalvictory. 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 ofNew Zealand,had captainedNew South Walesto state victory overQueensland,won theSunday Telegraph's Player of the Year award and ultimately captained St. George to premiership victory. The St George committee chose to back Kearney's fine football brain and his advanced strategies on attack, defence 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. 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 withClive Churchillunavailable due to injury. 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 1956Kangaroo tourin spite of the availability and tour selection of Churchill with whom he reportedly enjoyed an uneasy relationship. The touring side won all three Tests in France but lost against Great Britain 2–1. Kearney played in all Tests on tour.

Kearney played in an exceptionally talented Australian side who won the1957 World CupundercaptainDick Poole,playing out one of the matches with a broken jaw.and the 1958 domesticAshesseries under captainBrian Daviesbefore retiring from international football.

Kearney brought tactics and strategy from English rugby league and is often credited with masterminding theSt. George Dragonssuccessful 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. He played 156 games from1952to1961,captained the club in five winningGrand Finals(as captain-coach for the latter four) and coached them to further victory in1961.

Post-playing

After retiring as a player Kearney stayed on with St George as coach for the remainder of the1961 NSWRFL seasonbefore resigning.

He then coached theParramatta Eelsto the semi-finals in 1962–1964. He coached theWestern Suburbs Magpiesclub in 1965 and was the foundation coach for theCronulla-Sutherland Sharksin their first three seasons, 1967–1969.

Kearney worked in insurance sales in Sydney for 25 years. He retired to theGold Coastwhere he died in his home of aheart attackin 2006 aged 82.

Accolades

He was awarded Life Membership of theSt. George Dragonsclub in 1991.

In 2006 he was inducted into theAustralian Rugby League Hall of Fame.In February 2008, Kearney was named in the list of Australia's100 Greatest Players(1908–2007) which was commissioned by theNRL,andARLto celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. On 20 July 2022, Kearney was named in the St. George Dragons District Rugby League Clubs team of the century at hooker.

References

Sources

• Whiticker, Alan (2004)Captaining the Kangaroos,New Holland, Sydney
• Writer, Larry (1995)Never Before, Never Again,Pan MacMillan, Sydney

External links

• (archived by web.archive.org)NineMSN "St George great 'Killer' Kearney dies" 19 August 2006
• St George Leagues Club Journal Tribute November 2006