Don Kenealy was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand.

Donald Kenealy
Personal information
Full nameDaniel James Kenealy
Born13 February 1893
Te Puke, New Zealand
Died12 August 1976 (1976-08-13) (aged 83)
Playing information
Height5 ft 1.5 in (156 cm)
Weight144 lb (65 kg)
PositionWing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
191113 Eden Ramblers 14 4 11 0 34
191315 City Rovers 16 2 1 0 8
Total 30 6 12 0 42
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
191113 Auckland 8 1 0 0 3
1912 New Zealand 4 0 0 0 0

Early life edit

He was known as Daniel James Kenealy but went by Don or Donald throughout life. On occasion his war records say Donald and at other times Daniel. He grew up in the Te Puke area where he attended Te Puke Primary School.[1] He later moved to Auckland and went to Sacred Heart College where he excelled as a cricketer and rugby footballer.[2] He left school in 1909 and in 1910 was playing rugby for Marist Brothers second grade team.[3]

Playing career edit

 
Kenealy in the Eden Ramblers side on 11 May 1912. He is 8th from the left.
 
Kenealy in the 1912 Auckland rugby league side to play New Zealand at Eden Park.

Kenealy switched to rugby league in 1911 and played for Eden Ramblers from their foundation in 1911 to 1913. He was a back and captained the side in 1913. During the 1913 season the Eden senior team disbanded and Kenealy was granted a transfer by Auckland Rugby League to the City Rovers

.[4] He was selected for the Auckland in 1911 and played 3 matches for them.[5] In 1912 he played 4 matches for Auckland and scored 1 try.

In 1912 he was selected to play for New Zealand on the tour of Australia. No test matches were played on the tour.[6] Following the 1915 season he stopped playing. He was a carpenter and lived at Belvedere, New North Road in Mount Albert after marrying.[citation needed]

War edit

Donald Kenealy served in World War I. At the time of his enlistment he was living in Mount Albert and was working at Brooke Bros. in the same suburb.

Personal life edit

In 1917 he married Dorothy Harrison Hills in Christchurch. They lived together soon after in Mount Albert in Auckland however. He was a carpenter by trade according to his war recruitment form.

References edit

  1. ^ "Te Puke Primary School Roll 1883-1905". Sooty. 10 December 1909. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Sacred Heart College/Annual Prize Distribution". New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14240. 10 December 1909. p. 7. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Second Grade". Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 178. 29 July 1910. p. 7. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Meeting of Committee". New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15326. 12 June 1913. p. 9. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  5. ^ Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009. ISBN 978-1-86969-366-4.
  6. ^ Donald James KENEALY, Donald James (1912)[permanent dead link] nzleague.co.nz