Luke Kelly (rugby league) facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Born | 13 October 1989 Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia |
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Playing information
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| Height | 181 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 86 kg (13 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Five-eighth, Halfback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Luke Kelly, born on October 13, 1989, is an Australian who used to play professional rugby league. He was a talented player, often playing as a five-eighth or halfback. He played for several teams, including the Melbourne Storm, Parramatta Eels, and the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Australia's top rugby league competition, the National Rugby League.
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Early Life and Rugby Beginnings
Luke Kelly was born in Katherine, a town in the Northern Territory, Australia. He started playing rugby league for a local team called the Katherine Bushrangers. This team was part of the Northern Territory Rugby League competition.
Later, Luke moved to Sydney to attend a boarding school. He went to St Gregory's College, Campbelltown, which is well-known for producing great rugby league players. Scouts from the Melbourne Storm team noticed his talent during a school tournament. After playing one year for the Western Suburbs Magpies' junior team (called SG Ball), he moved to Melbourne. There, he joined the NRL Under-20s competition.
Playing Career Highlights
Time with Melbourne Storm
Luke Kelly quickly became a leader. In 2009, he was the captain of the Melbourne Storm's NRL Under-20s team. His team won the Grand Final that year. Luke also won the Jack Gibson Medal, which is given to the best player in the Grand Final match.
He made his first appearance in the main NRL competition for Melbourne in 2009. This was in Round 17 of the 2009 NRL season, and he played against the Parramatta Eels. In 2010, he played in four more NRL games for the Storm. He missed most of the 2011 season because of an injury. He played one last game for Melbourne in 2012.
Joining the Parramatta Eels
In the middle of the 2012 season, Luke Kelly moved to the Parramatta Eels. He played his first game for the Eels in Round 16 against the Penrith Panthers. Parramatta won that game by a close score of 19-18. In his first season with the Eels, Luke played four games. The team finished last in the competition, which is sometimes called getting the "wooden spoon." This was the first time they had finished last since 1972.
In June 2013, the coach, Ricky Stuart, told Luke and 11 other Parramatta players that their future with the club was uncertain. Despite this, Luke played in 18 games for Parramatta during the 2013 NRL season. The team finished last again for a second year in a row.
In the 2014 NRL season, Luke played in only six games for Parramatta. The team just missed out on making the finals that year. On May 16, 2015, Luke played his first game of that season against the New Zealand Warriors. He kicked a field goal with three minutes left to tie the game at 13-13. However, Parramatta lost the game in extra time.
Moving to South Sydney Rabbitohs
In October 2016, Luke Kelly signed with the South Sydney Rabbitohs for the 2017 NRL season. He was brought in to provide backup for the team's main playmakers, Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker.
On March 3, 2017, Luke played his first game for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. This was in the first round of the NRL season against the Wests Tigers. On August 5, 2017, Luke scored a great solo try in a game where his team, North Sydney (a feeder team for South Sydney), won 42-10 against Wests Tigers. On September 1, Luke was called back to the Souths team. He replaced an injured Adam Reynolds in the final game of the regular season. This game was against his old team, Parramatta.
At the end of the season, the South Sydney team announced that Luke Kelly's contract would not be renewed. This meant he would be leaving the club.
Life After Playing
On January 29, 2018, Luke Kelly announced that he was retiring from playing professional rugby league. He then took on a new role behind the scenes at Souths. He became a player well-being manager, helping players with their overall health and happiness.
