Brett Kimmorley
Encyclopedia
Brett "Noddy" Kimmorley (born 15 September 1976) was an Australian professional rugby league
footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the NRL
. He has previously played for five other clubs (Newcastle Knights
, Hunter Mariners
, Melbourne Storm
, Northern Eagles
, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks) and has also represented his country and state on several occasions. He retired at the end of the 2010 NRL season.
against Manly on 21 July 1995 at Energy Australia Stadium (then known as Marathon Stadium). In place of the injured Andrew Johns
, Kimmorley got his first try in his second ever game.
After limited opportunities in first-grade at his favoured half-back position with the Knights (because of Andrew Johns
), Kimmorley opted to sign for newly formed Super League
club the Hunter Mariners
who were also based out of Newcastle mid-way through he 1997 split season. Throughout 1997 the Mariners managed to make a seven win and reach the final of the 1997 World Club Championship. Kimmorley was the Mariners' only player selected to represent Australia in the three-test series
against Great Britain at the end of the season.
With the shutting down of Super League in 1998 the Mariners were subsequently disbanded and with the newly formed National Rugby League
starting up, Kimmorley was yet again on the move. He (along with several Mariners teammates) moved to newly-formed entity the Melbourne Storm
on a three-year deal. He played every game for the Storm in the 1998 season. His most memorable season for the Storm came in 1999 when the Storm won their maiden Premiership against the St George Illawarra Dragons
, leading a spirited Storm comeback and settings up the match-winning try with a chip-kick to earn the Clive Churchill medal
for best on-ground.
In 2000 Brett Kimmorley made his State of Origin debut for New South Wales, helping the Blues to a clean sweep, and keeping Johns on the bench for games II and III. The following year he left Victoria for the Northern Eagles
. He had an unhappy season, however, and when the merged entity split at the end of the season, he decided to follow his former Melbourne Storm coach Chris Anderson to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks for 2002 after being linked with a move to recently promoted English Super League
club Widnes Vikings
.
In his first season with his new club he somewhat flourished and led the Sharks to the preliminary final and although they lost (to eventual runners-up New Zealand Warriors
).
With the new season in 2003 looking promising, Kimmorley was awarded the captaincy of the team over David Peachey
and was rewarded with a new five-year deal. At the end of 2003, in the Ashes
tour against Great Britain
, Kimmorley was pivotal to Australia's whitewashing with last-minute field goals to secure the first two games in the three game series.
2004 was a disappointing season for Kimmorley, who failed to take his club to the finals for a second consecutive season. He was also plagued with several injuries which caused him to miss the annual State of Origin
fixtures, although he still gained a position on the end of season Tri-Nations
tour to Britain
and had several impressive performances which were key to the team's success.
The start of 2005 looked extremely promising for the club, with Cronulla and Kimmorley winning the first 6 games in a row to be on top of the NRL Ladder. However after Kimmorley's selection for New South Wales Rugby League team
in the first State of Origin match, in which he threw the fateful intercept ball to hand Queensland a victory, his confidence was seemingly shattered and his club form suffered badly. Only Cronulla's excellent first half of the season and favourable results prevented them from falling out of finals contention.
2006 was an unhappy one for Kimmorley, failing to regain his spot at halfback for both representative teams (New South Wales and Australia) the Sharks struggled to maintain their strong start to the season, plummeting from 2nd place on the ladder to lose 10 games in a row and finish 12th on the ladder.
In 2007 Kimmorley's chance for success improved mainly from the signing of new coach Ricky Stuart a former representative halfback himself. Kimmorley was selected as halfback for the 2007 New South Wales State of Origin team for games 2 and 3, after Jarrod Mullen was dropped due to injury.
Kimmorley was again linked with a move to the Widnes Vikings if they got into Super League, but this moved did not go through.
Kimmorley has agreed a move to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on a two year deal for the 2009 season. Kimmorley will play a senior role at the club, hoping to guide the Bulldogs to a final series and become the dominant halfback the club has missed in recent years. Kimmorley is also in line for captain of the Bulldogs. His Contract will end at the end of2010. He will most likely Join Cronulla Sharks, Parramatta Eels Or resign with Canterbury Bulldogs He has announced that he would look at signing with an NRLUS
team if the opportunity came.
On 26 August 2010 he announced his retirement from the NRL effective the end of the season. He also said that he will be coaching the Bulldogs for about 2 years. ref>http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/bulldogs-halfback-brett-kimmorley-announces-his-retirement-from-nrl/story-e6frexnr-1225910211231
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
. He has previously played for five other clubs (Newcastle Knights
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
, Hunter Mariners
Hunter Mariners
The Hunter Mariners were an Australian rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city, Newcastle. Hunter was formed in mid 1995 and was later disbanded at the end of 1997. The club was formed because of the Super League war, which was the rivalry between the traditional...
, Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
, Northern Eagles
Northern Eagles
The Northern Eagles were a rugby league team, that competed in the National Rugby League between 2000 and 2002. The club was formed during the rationalisation process of the NRL by the merger of the North Sydney Bears and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 2000...
, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks) and has also represented his country and state on several occasions. He retired at the end of the 2010 NRL season.
Early career
Brett Kimmorley played early football in the backyard with his sisters and then for the Lakes United Seagulls. While attending Belmont High School, Kimmorley played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1994.Professional career
Kimmorley made his first grade debut for the Newcastle KnightsNewcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
against Manly on 21 July 1995 at Energy Australia Stadium (then known as Marathon Stadium). In place of the injured Andrew Johns
Andrew Johns
Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. He was heralded as the world's best halfback for a number of years...
, Kimmorley got his first try in his second ever game.
After limited opportunities in first-grade at his favoured half-back position with the Knights (because of Andrew Johns
Andrew Johns
Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. He was heralded as the world's best halfback for a number of years...
), Kimmorley opted to sign for newly formed Super League
Super League (Australia)
Super League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
club the Hunter Mariners
Hunter Mariners
The Hunter Mariners were an Australian rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city, Newcastle. Hunter was formed in mid 1995 and was later disbanded at the end of 1997. The club was formed because of the Super League war, which was the rivalry between the traditional...
who were also based out of Newcastle mid-way through he 1997 split season. Throughout 1997 the Mariners managed to make a seven win and reach the final of the 1997 World Club Championship. Kimmorley was the Mariners' only player selected to represent Australia in the three-test series
Super League Test series
The Super League Test series was a three-Test match series between the Great Britain national rugby league team and Super League's Australian national team held during November 1997 in England...
against Great Britain at the end of the season.
With the shutting down of Super League in 1998 the Mariners were subsequently disbanded and with the newly formed National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
starting up, Kimmorley was yet again on the move. He (along with several Mariners teammates) moved to newly-formed entity the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
on a three-year deal. He played every game for the Storm in the 1998 season. His most memorable season for the Storm came in 1999 when the Storm won their maiden Premiership against the St George Illawarra Dragons
St George Illawarra Dragons
The St George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing the St. George and Illawarra regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 as a joint venture between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons club and 1982 expansion club, the...
, leading a spirited Storm comeback and settings up the match-winning try with a chip-kick to earn the Clive Churchill medal
Clive Churchill Medal
The Clive Churchill Medal has been presented to the man-of-the-match of the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final match ever since the 1986 season. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australian history, following his death in 1985...
for best on-ground.
In 2000 Brett Kimmorley made his State of Origin debut for New South Wales, helping the Blues to a clean sweep, and keeping Johns on the bench for games II and III. The following year he left Victoria for the Northern Eagles
Northern Eagles
The Northern Eagles were a rugby league team, that competed in the National Rugby League between 2000 and 2002. The club was formed during the rationalisation process of the NRL by the merger of the North Sydney Bears and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 2000...
. He had an unhappy season, however, and when the merged entity split at the end of the season, he decided to follow his former Melbourne Storm coach Chris Anderson to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks for 2002 after being linked with a move to recently promoted English Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
club Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
.
In his first season with his new club he somewhat flourished and led the Sharks to the preliminary final and although they lost (to eventual runners-up New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
).
With the new season in 2003 looking promising, Kimmorley was awarded the captaincy of the team over David Peachey
David Peachey
David Peachey is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative fullback, he played the majority of his club football in the National Rugby League for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks...
and was rewarded with a new five-year deal. At the end of 2003, in the Ashes
Rugby League Ashes
The Ashes is the name given to the trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-three series of rugby league football test series between Great Britain and Australia...
tour against Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
, Kimmorley was pivotal to Australia's whitewashing with last-minute field goals to secure the first two games in the three game series.
2004 was a disappointing season for Kimmorley, who failed to take his club to the finals for a second consecutive season. He was also plagued with several injuries which caused him to miss the annual State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
fixtures, although he still gained a position on the end of season Tri-Nations
Rugby League Tri-Nations
The Rugby League Tri-Nations was a rugby league tournament involving the top three nations in the sport: Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand...
tour to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and had several impressive performances which were key to the team's success.
The start of 2005 looked extremely promising for the club, with Cronulla and Kimmorley winning the first 6 games in a row to be on top of the NRL Ladder. However after Kimmorley's selection for New South Wales Rugby League team
New South Wales Rugby League team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
in the first State of Origin match, in which he threw the fateful intercept ball to hand Queensland a victory, his confidence was seemingly shattered and his club form suffered badly. Only Cronulla's excellent first half of the season and favourable results prevented them from falling out of finals contention.
2006 was an unhappy one for Kimmorley, failing to regain his spot at halfback for both representative teams (New South Wales and Australia) the Sharks struggled to maintain their strong start to the season, plummeting from 2nd place on the ladder to lose 10 games in a row and finish 12th on the ladder.
In 2007 Kimmorley's chance for success improved mainly from the signing of new coach Ricky Stuart a former representative halfback himself. Kimmorley was selected as halfback for the 2007 New South Wales State of Origin team for games 2 and 3, after Jarrod Mullen was dropped due to injury.
Kimmorley was again linked with a move to the Widnes Vikings if they got into Super League, but this moved did not go through.
Kimmorley has agreed a move to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on a two year deal for the 2009 season. Kimmorley will play a senior role at the club, hoping to guide the Bulldogs to a final series and become the dominant halfback the club has missed in recent years. Kimmorley is also in line for captain of the Bulldogs. His Contract will end at the end of2010. He will most likely Join Cronulla Sharks, Parramatta Eels Or resign with Canterbury Bulldogs He has announced that he would look at signing with an NRLUS
National Rugby League USA
The National Rugby League USA is a proposed professional rugby league football competition to be based in the United States. The league was first announced in 2009, with an intended kickoff date of 2010...
team if the opportunity came.
On 26 August 2010 he announced his retirement from the NRL effective the end of the season. He also said that he will be coaching the Bulldogs for about 2 years. ref>http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/bulldogs-halfback-brett-kimmorley-announces-his-retirement-from-nrl/story-e6frexnr-1225910211231
Representative career
Kimmorley has represented Country NSW four times and New South Wales two times as well as playing 15 times for his country including the 2000 World Cup. He has also played two Super League Tests.Playing statistics
- Played 267 career first grade games with six clubs
- Has scored over 700 points including 76 career tries