Noel Kelly (rugby league) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Noel Kelly
OAM

Personal information
Full name	Noel Raymond Kelly
Born	(1936-01-22)22 January 1936 Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Died	14 June 2020(2020-06-14) (aged 84) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	14 st 0 lb (89 kg)
Position	Hooker, Prop, Lock
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1958–59 Brothers (Ipswich) 1960 Ayr 1961–69 Western Suburbs 111 6 0 0 18 1970 Wollongong Total 111 6 0 0 18 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1959–60 Queensland 8 1 0 0 3 1959–68 Australia 25 2 0 0 6 1963–67 New South Wales 6 1 0 0 3
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1966–69 Western Suburbs 85 43 2 40 51 1970 Wollongong 1973–76 North Sydney 88 33 4 51 38 Total 173 76 6 91 44 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 1966 New South Wales 3 3 0 0 100

Noel Raymond Kelly (born January 22, 1936 – died June 14, 2020) was an amazing Australian professional rugby league player and coach. He played for clubs, his state, and even for Australia! Many people say he was one of the best rugby league players of the 20th century.

Kelly often played as a hooker (hooker), prop forward, or lock (lock). He spent most of his top-level career with the Western Suburbs Magpies. He even played in three big grand finals in a row for them from 1961 to 1963. Noel Kelly was chosen as the hooker for the Western Suburbs Magpies, Queensland, and Australian teams of the 20th century.

Early Life and Rugby Beginnings

Noel Kelly was born in Ipswich Hospital and grew up in a town called Goodna. He went to primary school at St Mary's in Goodna. Later, he attended St Edmund's College, Ipswich, a high school run by the Christian Brothers.

When he was 12, his mom let him switch to the local state school. He studied there until he was 14. Kelly started playing rugby league for his local club in Goodna when he was young. He played in the junior league and then moved up to the first team as a young man. He usually played as a lock or second rower.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting in the 1950s

In 1956, Kelly began playing in the Ipswich Rugby League competition. He first played for a team called Railways, and then two years later, he joined Brothers. At Railways, he played alongside famous players like Gary Parcell and Dud Beattie. At Brothers, his coach was Dan Dempsey, who had played on two Kangaroo tours.

The Bulimba Cup was a special rugby series played between teams from Ipswich, Brisbane, and Toowoomba. In 1958, playing as a hooker, Kelly helped his Ipswich team beat the Toowoomba Downsmen 15–10 in the final. This win happened in front of a big crowd of 7,242 fans. Kelly said that their continued success in 1959 helped him get noticed for state and international teams.

In 1959, Kelly was chosen to play for Queensland. His captain-coach was the legendary Clive Churchill. In his first game for Queensland, Kelly was a hooker and won more scrums than the New South Wales hooker. He missed the second game, but Queensland still won the series 2–1.

Later in 1959, Kelly played in a Queensland game against New South Wales that drew a huge crowd of 35,261 people. This broke Brisbane's old record for an interstate match.

Kelly was then picked as hooker for his first test match against New Zealand. Later that year, he went on his first Kangaroo Tour. This is when Australian players travel to other countries to play. However, old knee injuries made it hard for him to play his best. He only played in 14 out of 37 possible games. This allowed another player, Ian Walsh, to become the main hooker for the team.

The 1960s: Moving to Sydney

In 1960, because he needed money, Kelly signed a contract to be a captain-coach for a team in Ayr. When he arrived, he found out that five local clubs had joined together to pay for him. This meant he had to coach each of the five clubs for a week at a time.

Kelly was chosen for the 1960 Rugby League World Cup. He scored his first international try in Australia's first game against France. Playing as a hooker, he was known for being tough. People said he would get "bruised and scratched from his ankles to his hips" from kicks during games.

By 1961, Kelly was a well-known Kangaroo player. He moved to Sydney and joined the Western Suburbs Magpies. He chose them because they offered better living arrangements and had "two big prop forwards," which he felt was very important for his playing style. The club delayed paying his transfer fee while he recovered from a knee operation.

In 1961 and 1962, Ian Walsh was the main hooker for the Australian team, so Kelly didn't play in any international games. Before the 1963 season, Kelly asked the Magpies to try him out as a prop. People thought he might get too many penalties as a hooker. In June, he returned to the Australian team, playing as a prop and even scoring a try. He played prop in one game against South Africa, but then went back to hooker in the next game.

Kelly was a very important player for the Magpies throughout the 1960s. He played in all three of the club's Grand Final losses to St. George in 1961, 1962, and 1963.

Noel Kelly was known as a tough and aggressive player, even though he wasn't the biggest player for his time. He was sent off the field eleven times while playing for Wests. Sometimes this was for minor rule breaks in the scrum, not always for rough play.

In August 1963, Kelly announced he might not be able to go on the Kangaroo tour because of money issues. He said it was a "bitter disappointment." However, just three days later, he signed a new contract with the Magpies and changed his mind. Kelly went on his second Kangaroo Tour, playing as a prop forward. The captain, Ian Walsh, was chosen as the hooker again. On his third Kangaroo Tour, Kelly was back playing as a hooker.

Later Career and Coaching

In 1966, Kelly missed the first game of the state season due to a broken thumb and a suspension. Even though he hadn't played for over a month, he was named captain-coach of New South Wales for the second game. He was "dumbfounded" by the news, saying, "You must be kidding. I have been training. I am fit. I just can't believe it." Kelly also became the captain-coach of the Magpies from 1966, a role he held for four years.

In 1967, Kelly got injured in the first game of the season with Wests. He was still recovering weeks later but was surprisingly chosen for a test match against New Zealand. He was the oldest player on the team, and his selection showed how experienced and tough he was. In the second match, Kelly was sent off the field very early in the game. After his teammate John Gleeson was tackled hard, Kelly responded by hitting the player responsible.

Noel Kelly was the first hooker or prop to be chosen for three Kangaroo tours: 1959–60, 1963–64, and 1967–68. In the first game of the 1967 tour, his nose was broken in the very first scrum. For the first test match, he played even though he was in "agony" from a back injury. Australia won the second test. In the deciding game, Kelly was sent off just three minutes before the end for a strong tackle. This was his 28th and final test match.

Kelly's last game as a player was at the end of the 1969 season. His team won their fifth game in a row in tough conditions. After leaving Wests, he received many offers from other clubs. He said he was "perplexed" because he had more offers than ever. He eventually signed a two-year contract to join Wollongong in 1970 but only stayed for one season. He later said he regretted that time.

After Playing Rugby

After retiring as a player, Kelly returned to Sydney to coach the North Sydney Bears from 1973 to 1976. His teams did not make it to the semi-finals during that time. At the end of 1976, after leaving Norths, he was chosen to coach a Sydney team on a tour of New Zealand.

He also became a board member and an ambassador for the Men of League Foundation. This foundation helps rugby league players and their families.

In September 2004, Noel Kelly was named as the captain and hooker of the Western Suburbs Magpies team of the century. In February 2008, he was included in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players. This list was created to celebrate 100 years of rugby league in Australia. Kelly was also named as the hooker in the Australian Rugby League's Team of the Century on April 17, 2008. In June 2008, he was chosen as the hooker for the Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century.

The award for the best forward at the Wests Tigers club each year is called the Noel Kelly Medal, named in his honor.

In 2018, Noel Kelly received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). This award recognized his great contributions to rugby league.

Noel Kelly passed away on June 14, 2020, in Sydney. He was 84 years old. He had suffered a stroke about a month before his death.