Jay Kennedy Harris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jay Kennedy Harris
Kennedy Harris playing for Melbourne in June 2019
Personal information
Full name	Jay Kennedy Harris
Nickname(s)	JKH
Date of birth	(1995-03-21) 21 March 1995 (age 30)
Original team	Oakleigh Chargers
Draft	No. 40, 2013 national draft
Debut	Round 1, 2014, Melbourne v. St Kilda, at Etihad Stadium
Position(s)	Forward
Club information
Current club	Melbourne
Number	24

Jay Kennedy Harris was born on March 21, 1995. He is a former Australian rules football player. He is best known for playing with the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Jay played as a small forward. He is 1.73 meters (5 feet 8 inches) tall and weighs 75 kilograms (165 pounds). He could play both in the forward line and in the midfield.

He started playing top-level football early. He played for the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup when he was younger than most players. He also played for Vic Metro in the 2013 AFL Under 18 Championships.

As a junior player, Jay achieved some amazing things. He was the first Indigenous player to be captain of a TAC Cup team. He was also chosen for the TAC Cup team of the year. The Melbourne Football Club picked him in the 2013 AFL draft. He started playing for them in the 2014 season.

Jay Kennedy Harris stopped playing for Melbourne after the 2019 AFL season.

Jay's Early Life and Achievements

Jay Kennedy Harris grew up in Endeavour Hills, Victoria. His parents are Heather Kennedy and Edgar Harris. Jay is an Indigenous Australian, from the Gugu-Badhun and Yidiny groups in far north Queensland.

He went to St John's Regional College. Later, he moved to Trinity Grammar in 2009. A school friend, Luke McDonald, encouraged him to join the Kew Comets Junior Football Club.

After that, Jay joined the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup in 2012. He was a younger player on the team that won the premiership. After finishing school in 2012, he started studying science at the University of Melbourne in 2013.

In his draft year, Jay was the co-captain of the Oakleigh Chargers. This made him the first Indigenous player to captain a TAC Cup team. He played twelve games that season. He was also named on the bench in the TAC Cup team of the year.

He played for Vic Metro in the 2013 AFL Under 18 Championships. Experts thought he would be picked early in the 2013 AFL draft. They compared him to other great small forwards.

Jay's AFL Career Journey

Jay Kennedy Harris warming up before a game in February 2017

The Melbourne Football Club chose Jay Kennedy Harris in the 2013 national draft. He was their second pick and the fortieth player chosen overall.

His first game for Melbourne was in the 2014 NAB Challenge. He played against Richmond at Etihad Stadium. He kicked three goals in the last quarter, helping Melbourne win unexpectedly. A sports journalist praised his speed and creativity in that game.

Because of his good pre-season games, Jay played his first official AFL game in Round 1 of 2014. It was against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium. He played in the first eleven games of the season.

He then spent some time playing in the Victorian Football League (VFL). This was for Melbourne's partner team, the Casey Scorpions. He returned to the main team for a few more games that season. In his first year, he played fourteen games and kicked nine goals.

Before the 2015 season, Jay signed a new contract. This meant he would stay with Melbourne until the end of 2017. He also played for the Indigenous All-Stars team.

It was harder for Jay to keep his spot in the main team in 2015. This was because a new small forward, Jeff Garlett, joined the club. Jay played eight games in total that year.

In 2016, Jay had a tough year with injuries. He hurt his hamstring three times. These injuries kept him from playing any senior AFL games that season. He only played a few VFL games at the end of the year.

Jay's Acting Roles

Before becoming an AFL player, Jay Kennedy Harris was also an actor! He had a regular role in a TV show called Dead Gorgeous on ABC1 in 2010. He played the character Charlie in all 13 episodes.

He also appeared in an episode of the famous TV show Neighbours. In that show, he was credited as Cub Scout No. 2. Jay was also in a movie called Blessed, where he played Young Jimmy.

He even appeared in a commercial for Victoria Police. It was part of a campaign to recruit protective services officers.

Filmography