Kerry Hemsley is an Australian former professional rugby league

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...

 player for the
Balmain Tigers

Balmain Tigers

The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...

 in the New South Wales Rugby League

New South Wales Rugby League

The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...

 (NSWRL) competition. Hemsley primarily played at prop forward.

While playing for Yanco

Yanco, New South Wales

Yanco is a village with a population of 572 in Leeton Shire in South Western New South Wales, Australia. Yanco is a Wiradjuri aboriginal language word meaning the sound of running water. Yanco is located three kilometres from Leeton along the Irrigation Way...

, Hemsley was selected to play for Riverina

Riverina

The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...

 against the touring 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"....

 side in 1979.

Hemsely was recommended to Balmain by his Yanco captain-coach and former Tiger, Keith Outten. 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.

During the Australian off-seasons, Hemsley played in France for Olympique Pontétien

US Le Pontet

Union Sportive Le Pontet Football is a football club based in Le Pontet, Vaucluse, France. They play at the Stade de Montbord in Le Pontet.-History:The club was formed in 1980 under the name of Olympique Pontétien...

 in 1982–1983 and in England for the Wigan Warriors

Wigan Warriors

Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....

 in 1983–1984. He became the first Balmain player to appear at Wembley Stadium

Wembley Stadium

The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...

 in a cup final when Wigan met and were defeated by 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...

.

Sources