William Kennedy (rugby league, born 1997) facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | William Kennedy Jr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 18 April 1997 Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 88 kg (13 st 12 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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| Position | Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 26 July 2025
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| Relatives | Kandy Kennedy (sister) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Kennedy, born on April 18, 1997, is an Australian professional rugby league player. He plays as a Fullback (fullback) for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks team in the National Rugby League (NRL).
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About William Kennedy
William Kennedy was born in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. His father, William 'Bubba' Kennedy, was also a rugby league player for the Balmain Tigers. William Jr. started his rugby league journey playing for the Bathurst St Patrick's junior team.
William Kennedy's Rugby League Career
Starting in the NRL: 2019
William Kennedy made his first appearance in the NRL in 2019. This was in Round 6 of the 2019 NRL season, when his team, Cronulla, played against the Penrith Panthers. Later that year, he also played for Cronulla's feeder team, Newtown. With Newtown, he helped them win both the 2019 Canterbury Cup NSW premiership and the 2019 NRL State Championship final.
Key Moments: 2021 Season
The 2021 NRL season was a strong year for Kennedy.
- In Round 1, he scored two tries for Cronulla-Sutherland in a big 32-18 win against St. George.
- He scored two more tries in Round 4, helping Cronulla win 48-10 against North Queensland.
- In Round 20, he scored two tries during a match against Manly.
- In Round 23, he scored two tries again in a 50-20 victory over the Wests Tigers.
Overall, Kennedy played 24 games in 2021 and scored 14 tries. Cronulla finished 9th that season, just missing out on the finals.
Challenges and Successes: 2022 Season
In Round 9 of the 2022 NRL season, Kennedy was sent off the field for a dangerous high tackle during a game against the New Zealand Warriors. Even with fewer players, Cronulla managed to win that match. In the Qualifying Final, Kennedy scored two tries, but Cronulla lost a close game 32-30 to North Queensland. He played 19 matches and scored seven tries in 2022.
Hat-Tricks and Finals: 2023 Season
The 2023 NRL season was impressive for Kennedy.
- In Round 2, he scored a hat-trick (three tries in one game) in Cronulla's 30-26 win over Parramatta.
- He scored another hat-trick in Round 8, helping Cronulla win 33-20 against Canterbury.
Kennedy played 19 games in 2023 and scored 14 tries. Cronulla finished 6th on the ladder that year.
Playing in the Finals: 2024 Season
In the 2024 NRL season, Kennedy played 26 games for Cronulla. The team finished 4th and made it to the finals. Kennedy played in all three of Cronulla's finals matches, including their preliminary final loss against Penrith.
Career Statistics
Here are William Kennedy's statistics for his NRL career and All-Star games. * denotes season competing
NRL Games
| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Cronulla-Sutherland |
2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 17 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 12 | |
| 2021 | 24 | 14 | 0 | — | 0 | 56 | |
| 2022 | 19 | 7 | 0 | — | 0 | 28 | |
| 2023 | 19 | 14 | 56 | ||||
| 2024 | 26 | 5 | 20 | ||||
| 2025 | 8 | 4 | 16 | ||||
| Career totals | 115 | 47 | 0 | — | 0 | 188 | |
All Star Games
| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 |  Indigenous All Stars |
1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
