Shaun Kenny-Dowall facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Shaun Kenny-Dowall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 January 1988 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
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Playing information
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| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.94 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 16 st 5 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre, Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Shaun Kenny-Dowall (born 23 January 1988) is a former professional rugby league player from New Zealand. He played as a centre and winger. He was also the captain for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League.
Before joining Hull Kingston Rovers, Shaun played for the Sydney Roosters and the Newcastle Knights in Australia's NRL. He won the 2013 NRL Grand Final with the Roosters. He also played for the New Zealand national team, helping them win the 2010 Rugby League Four Nations and 2014 Rugby League Four Nations tournaments. He also represented the New Zealand Māori and NRL All Stars.
Contents
Early Life and Rugby Beginnings
Shaun Kenny-Dowall was born in Woodridge, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. His family has both English and Māori heritage, specifically from the Ngāti Ākarana tribe.
When he was three years old, Shaun moved to Auckland, New Zealand. He started his rugby league journey playing for the East Coast Bays Barracudas. Later, he lived in Ngāruawāhia, where he went to Ngaruawahia High School. During this time, he played for local clubs like Turangawaewae and the Ngaruawahia Panthers. Shaun was part of the New Zealand Warriors junior team. In 2004, he moved to Sydney, Australia. He was chosen for the Junior Kiwis team in 2006.
Shaun's father, John Dowall, is also a talented athlete. He won a gold medal in javelin and a silver medal in shot put at the 2000 Paralympic Games.
Professional Playing Career
Starting with the Roosters: 2006-2008
In 2006, Kenny-Dowall played in the NSW Cup grand final for Newtown. This team was linked to the Sydney Roosters at the time. Newtown lost the final match by a single point.
Shaun joined the Sydney Roosters in 2007. He made his first National Rugby League (NRL) appearance in Round 1 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. In Round 4, he scored his first NRL try. Later that season, in Round 13, he scored three tries in one game against the North Queensland Cowboys. He finished his first NRL year with 8 tries in 14 matches. At the end of 2007, he played for the New Zealand All Golds. He also made his debut for the New Zealand national rugby league team against France, scoring a try.
In 2008, Kenny-Dowall played 19 matches and scored 15 tries for the Roosters. He was part of the New Zealand training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. He also played for the New Zealand Māori team, scoring a try in their match against the Indigenous Dreamtime team.
Key Seasons and Grand Final Win: 2009-2013
In 2009, Shaun played in all 24 matches for the Roosters, scoring 14 tries.
The 2010 season was a big one for Kenny-Dowall. In one game against the Brisbane Broncos, he scored 4 tries. This was the first time a Roosters player had done this in 35 years. In a playoff match against the Wests Tigers, he scored the winning try in extra time. He intercepted the ball and ran 70 metres to secure the win for the Roosters. Shaun played in all 28 matches for the Roosters that year and scored 21 tries. He was the highest try-scorer in the NRL for 2010. He also played for the Kiwis in the 2010 Rugby League Four Nations series, scoring three tries. He was a key player in the Kiwis' winning try in the final. His great performance in 2010 earned him a spot in the Rugby League World Golden Boot Award's team of the year.
In 2011, Kenny-Dowall was selected for the NRL All Stars team. He scored a try in their win over the Indigenous All Stars. He also played his 100th NRL match for the Roosters that year.
In 2012, he played for the Kiwis in the 2012 Anzac Test against Australia.
The 2013 season was a highlight for Shaun. He played for the NRL All Stars team again. He was also selected for New Zealand in the 2013 Anzac Test. Kenny-Dowall played a crucial role in the Roosters' 26–18 victory in the 2013 NRL Grand Final against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. He scored a try in the 60th minute of the match. Despite breaking a tooth and fracturing his jaw early in the game, he continued to play. This injury meant he missed the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. He played in all 27 matches for the Roosters that year, scoring 9 tries.
Continued Success and Team Changes: 2014-2019
In 2014, Kenny-Dowall played his 150th NRL match for the Roosters. He played in all 27 matches that season, scoring 11 tries. He was also selected for the New Zealand Kiwis squad for the 2014 Rugby League Four Nations series. He played at centre in the Kiwis' 22–18 win over Australia in the Four Nations final.
In 2015, Kenny-Dowall scored his 100th NRL career try. He also played for New Zealand against Australia in the 2015 Anzac Test, scoring a try in the Kiwis' victory. He became the Roosters' second-highest try-scorer with 105 tries, passing Bill Mullins' record. He finished the 2015 NRL season as the Roosters' top try-scorer with 17 tries in 20 matches. He was also selected for the New Zealand squad for the 2015 Tour of Great Britain, playing in all three test matches.
In 2016, Kenny-Dowall played his 200th NRL career match for the Roosters, scoring 2 tries. He finished the season playing in 19 matches and scoring 7 tries.
In 2017, Shaun Kenny-Dowall left the Roosters and joined the Newcastle Knights. He made his Knights debut against his former team, the Roosters, scoring the Knights' only try in the match. At the time he left the Roosters, he was one of their most capped players and their second-highest try-scorer with 122 tries.
In 2018, Kenny-Dowall scored 2 tries in a match against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
In 2019, it was announced that this would be Kenny-Dowall's last year in the NRL. He then signed a two-year contract to join the Super League team Hull Kingston Rovers starting in 2020. He finished his time with the Knights having played in 53 matches and scoring 18 tries.
Time with Hull Kingston Rovers: 2020-2023
In 2020, Kenny-Dowall made 19 appearances for Hull KR and scored 4 tries. The team finished at the bottom of the league but avoided being moved down to a lower division because the season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, he scored two tries in a game against Leigh. Kenny-Dowall played in every game for Hull KR that season. The team reached the semi-finals of the competition before losing to the Catalans Dragons.
In 2022, Kenny-Dowall played 23 matches for Hull KR, scoring four tries. He was also named in the 2022 Super League Dream Team as a centre.
In 2023, Kenny-Dowall received a four-game suspension for an incident during a match against Leigh. On 24 May, he announced that he would retire from playing at the end of the 2023 season. On 12 August, he played for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Challenge Cup final, where they lost in extra time. Kenny-Dowall's final game as a player was a semi-final loss against Wigan, which meant Hull Kingston Rovers finished just one game short of the grand final.
