Kerry Hemsley (born 10 May 1960) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played for the Balmain Tigers in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition, primarily as a prop.
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 10 May 1960 Junee, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 103 kg (16 st 3 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: stats.rleague.com, RLP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
While playing for Yanco, Hemsley was selected to play for Riverina against the touring Great Britain side in 1979.
Hemsley was recommended to Balmain by his Yanco captain-coach and former Tiger, Keith Outten.[2] Hemsley spent nine seasons at Balmain, earning himself a reputation as an enforcer on the field and he became a club and crowd favourite with his long hair and beard.[3]
During the Australian off-seasons, Hemsley played in France for Le Pontet XIII in 1982–1983 and in England for Wigan in 1983–84.[4] He became the first Balmain player to appear at Wembley Stadium in a cup final when Wigan met and were defeated by Widnes Vikings.[5]
1988 was to be Hemsley's last season with Balmain. Having made the semi-finals in the previous 2 seasons, Hemsley was out of the team from round 3, with coach Warren Ryan preferring other players.[6] He returned only for the semis, after the suspension of Steve Roach. He started at prop for the 24–12 loss to Canterbury in the grand final. Following his retirement he played a further 8 years of bush football with Yanco-Wamoon and Blayney.[7]
References edit
- ^ a b ‘Balmain’; Sydney Morning Herald Grand Final Wrap-Around, 8 September 1988, p. 3S
- ^ Chris Karas (12 March 2008). "Tiger greats honoured". The Weekly Times. Archived from the original on 26 October 2008. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
- ^ Nick Walshaw (30 May 2008). "Enforcers being rubbed out of game". Retrieved 4 October 2008.
- ^ "Kerry Hemsley". wigan.rlfans.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "Brett Kenny". Wigan Warriors. Archived from the original on 24 August 2007. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
- ^ Greg Growden (29 August 1988). "Pot of gold and black". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
- ^ Josh Massoud (18 May 2012). "Catching up with former Balmain Tigers hardman Kerry Hemsley". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
Sources edit
- Gary Lester, ed. (1983). The Sun Book of Rugby League – 1983. Sydney: John Fairfax Marketing. p. 12. ISBN 0-909558-83-3.
- Alan Whiticker & Glen Hudson (2007). The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. Wetherill Park, New South Wales: Gary Allen Pty Ltd. p. 232. ISBN 978-1-877082-93-1.
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