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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| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.94 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 16 st 5 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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| Position | Centre, Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 8 October 2023
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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 or winger. Shaun was also the captain for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League.
He played for the Sydney Roosters and won the 2013 NRL Grand Final with them. He also played for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. Shaun represented his country, New Zealand, and was part of their winning teams in the 2010 Rugby League Four Nations and 2014 Rugby League Four Nations tournaments. He also played for the New Zealand Māori and NRL All Stars.
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Shaun Kenny-Dowall's Early Life
Shaun Kenny-Dowall was born in Woodridge, Brisbane, Australia. His family background includes 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 and went to Ngaruawahia High School. He played for the Ngaruawahia Panthers club. Even though he was a junior player for the New Zealand Warriors, he moved to Sydney in 2004. In 2006, Shaun was chosen to play for the Junior Kiwis team.
His 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 Summer Paralympics.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall's Playing Career
Starting Out (2006-2008)
In 2006, Shaun Kenny-Dowall played in the NSW Cup grand final for Newtown Jets. This team was linked to the Sydney Roosters. Newtown lost the grand final by a very close score of 20-19.
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 in Round 13, he scored an amazing three tries in one game against the North Queensland Cowboys. He finished his first year with 14 matches played and 8 tries scored. He also played for the New Zealand All Golds team and scored a try in his first international game for New Zealand against France.
In 2008, Shaun 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 game against the Indigenous Dreamtime team.
Roosters Highlights (2009-2017)
Shaun played every game for the Roosters in 2009, scoring 14 tries. In 2010, he had an incredible game against the Brisbane Broncos, scoring four tries! This was the first time a Roosters player had done that in 35 years. He also scored the winning try in extra time during a final against the Wests Tigers, running 70 metres.
Shaun played in the 2010 NRL Grand Final for the Roosters, but they lost to the St. George Illawarra Dragons. He was the highest try-scorer in the 2010 NRL season with 21 tries. He also helped New Zealand win the 2010 Rugby League Four Nations series, scoring three tries, including one 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, Shaun played for the NRL All Stars team and scored a try. He signed a new four-year deal with the Roosters. He played his 100th NRL game for the Roosters in Round 19. In 2013, he again played for the NRL All Stars and for New Zealand in the 2013 Anzac Test. He was a key player in the Roosters' 26–18 victory in the 2013 NRL Grand Final against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, scoring a try. He played in all 27 matches for the Roosters that year.
Shaun played his 150th NRL game for the Roosters in 2014. He played in all 27 matches and scored 11 tries. He was also part of the New Zealand team that won the 2014 Rugby League Four Nations final against Australia. In 2015, he scored his 100th NRL career try. He became the Roosters' second-highest try-scorer ever with 105 tries, passing Bill Mullins. He finished the 2015 season as the Roosters' top try-scorer with 17 tries in 20 matches. He also played for New Zealand in their tour of Great Britain.
In 2016, Shaun played his 200th NRL career match and scored two tries. He played 19 matches and scored 7 tries for the Roosters that season. In 2017, after playing 9 matches and scoring 2 tries, his contract with the Roosters ended. At that time, he was the sixth most-capped player for the Roosters and their second-highest try-scorer with 122 tries.
Moving to Newcastle and Hull (2017-2023)
Shaun joined the Newcastle Knights in June 2017. He made his debut for the Knights against his old team, the Roosters, scoring the Knights' only try. In 2018, he scored two tries in a game against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
In September 2019, it was announced that Shaun would be leaving the NRL. He signed a two-year contract with the Super League team Hull Kingston Rovers starting in 2020. He finished his time with the Knights having played 53 matches and scoring 18 tries.
In 2020, Shaun played 19 games for Hull KR and scored 4 tries. In 2021, he scored two tries in a game against Leigh. He played every game for Hull KR that season, helping them reach the semi-finals of the Super League.
In 2022, Shaun played 23 games for Hull KR and scored four tries. He was even named in the 2022 Super League Dream Team as a centre, which means he was one of the best players in his position that year. In March 2023, Shaun received a temporary suspension from playing for four games. On 24 May, he announced that he would retire from playing rugby league at the end of the 2023 season.
On 12 August, Shaun played for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Challenge Cup final, which they lost in a very close game. His 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.
Images for kids
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Shaun Kenny-Dowall in action.
