Brett Kenny

Brett Edward Kenny was born on March 16, 1961, in Canterbury, New South Wales. He entered the first-grade rugby league scene with the Parramatta Eels in 1980, making his debut against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. What followed was a prominent career spanning over a decade, during which Kenny became a central figure in the Eels’ dominant period in the early 1980s. His partnership with halfback Peter Sterling and lock Ray Price formed a formidable combination, contributing to the club’s success in the NSWRL premiership.

Kenny’s talent for reading the game led to numerous intercept tries and his exceptional attacking skills were evident through his subtle acceleration, sidestep, and dummy. These attributes made him a consistent point-scorer, notably crossing for 21 tries in the 1983 season. Throughout his career, Kenny was recognized as a big-match performer, famously scoring two tries in each of Parramatta’s first three Grand Final victories. His contributions extended beyond club level, as he represented New South Wales in State of Origin and played for Australia internationally, earning the Golden Boot award in 1985 as the world’s best player.

During his career, Kenny also had a spell with Wigan in England in 1984-1985, where he played a pivotal role in their 1985 Challenge Cup final victory, earning the Lance Todd Trophy for his man-of-the-match performance. He retired from professional rugby league in 1993, having played 265 games for Parramatta, setting records for most first-grade games and tries for the club at the time. After his playing career, Kenny has been involved in coaching, including leading the Penrith Panthers Jersey Flegg side to a premiership in 2006 and coaching the Wentworthville Magpies in the NSW Cup in 2010. He was inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame in 2008 and the NSWRL Hall of Fame in 2021.