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Michael Jennings (rugby league)
Encyclopedia
Michael Joseph "Jenko" Jennings (born 20 April 1988 in Blacktown, New South Wales
) is an Australian professional rugby league
footballer for the Penrith Panthers
of the National Rugby League
. A Tongan and Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin
representative centre, he has played his whole career to date with the Panthers.
Jennings was the Rookie of the Year as well as the Player of the Year at the Penrith Panthers
in 2007.
Jennings primarily plays in the centres and he can also play on the wing.
Jennings was named in the Prime Minister's XIII
in 2008 and scored a try against Papua New Guinea. Jennings was also named in the Tonga squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
. He played in three matches for Tonga and scored three tries. While he was also named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
, he was not selected to play.
He was selected for City in the City vs Country
match on 8 May 2009.
In May 2009, Jennings was named in the 17 man squad to represent New South Wales in the opening State of Origin
match on 3 June 2009, in Melbourne. His selection hopes were bolstered when he scored a memorable 108m try against Sydney Roosters.Jennings went on to play in the third game of the State of Origin series after missing the second due to injury.
At the end of the 2009 NRL season, Jennings travelled to Europe with the Australian team for the 2009 Four Nations tournament. He made his debut for the Kangaroos in the match against France and scored a hat-trick. Jennings thus became the 4th Kangaroo since Lionel Morgan
in 1960, Brad Mackay
in 1990 and David Williams
in 2008 to score a hat-trick on debut for Australia and also receiving man of the match.
After a poor start to the 2011 NRL season he was a controversial selection in the NSW team for the first State of Origin match. However he responded with an excellent performance, scoring a try and being rated one of the best in a beaten Blues team.
On 12 August 2011 Jennings was dropped from the NRL team for showing up to training under the influence of alcohol. He had also been fined $10,000 earlier in 2011 for drinking, and it has been understood that he is on his last chance at the club.
Jennings season was cut short by an injury succumbed in the 26 to 12 loss against the New Zealand Warriors
during Round 24, when Jennings played as fullback. 2011 was quite a down season for Jennings, marred by numerous injuries, off-field controversies, and scoring just 4 tries during the whole year - one at Origin level, one at Club level, and two whilst playing NSW Cup in Round 23 for the Panthers' feeder team, the Windsor Wolves
, against the Newcastle Knights
feeder team, the Central Coast Centurions.
Blacktown, New South Wales
Blacktown is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Blacktown is located 34 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of City of Blacktown.Blacktown is the largest...
) is an Australian 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...
footballer for the Penrith Panthers
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
of the 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...
. A Tongan and Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin
State of Origin
State of Origin is the name used in Australia for one existing sporting event which involves domestic representative teams. The term, when used in isolation, usually refers to rugby league football, and occassionally Australian Football matches, in which players are selected for the Australian...
representative centre, he has played his whole career to date with the Panthers.
Playing career
While attending St Dominics College, Penrith, Jennings played for the he was playing for windsor wolves u/17 and 18's, Sydney and Australian Schoolboys team in 2005.Jennings was the Rookie of the Year as well as the Player of the Year at the Penrith Panthers
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
in 2007.
Jennings primarily plays in the centres and he can also play on the wing.
Jennings was named in the Prime Minister's XIII
Prime Minister's XIII
Prime Minister's XIII or the PM's XIII is the name of a representative rugby league team selected on an annual basis by the Prime Minister of Australia that consists of mainly young Australian players drawn from the National Rugby League competition to take on the Papua New Guinea national rugby...
in 2008 and scored a try against Papua New Guinea. Jennings was also named in the Tonga squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
. He played in three matches for Tonga and scored three tries. While he was also named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
, he was not selected to play.
He was selected for City in the City vs Country
City vs Country Origin
City vs Country is an annual Australian rugby league football match that takes place in New South Wales between City and Country representative sides. The City side represents the Sydney metropolitan area...
match on 8 May 2009.
In May 2009, Jennings was named in the 17 man squad to represent New South Wales in the opening 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...
match on 3 June 2009, in Melbourne. His selection hopes were bolstered when he scored a memorable 108m try against Sydney Roosters.Jennings went on to play in the third game of the State of Origin series after missing the second due to injury.
At the end of the 2009 NRL season, Jennings travelled to Europe with the Australian team for the 2009 Four Nations tournament. He made his debut for the Kangaroos in the match against France and scored a hat-trick. Jennings thus became the 4th Kangaroo since Lionel Morgan
Lionel Morgan (rugby league)
Lionel Morgan is an Indigenous Australian former rugby league footballer, named amongst the nation's finest of the 20th century, and current coach. Morgan was the first Indigenous Australian to be selected to play in a recognised rugby league Test match...
in 1960, Brad Mackay
Brad Mackay
Brad Mackay is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A versatile Lock Forward for the St George Dragons, Illawarra Steelers, Western Reds and the merged St...
in 1990 and David Williams
David Williams (rugby league)
David Williams is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles of the National Rugby League. He plays on the wing and can also play in the centres...
in 2008 to score a hat-trick on debut for Australia and also receiving man of the match.
After a poor start to the 2011 NRL season he was a controversial selection in the NSW team for the first State of Origin match. However he responded with an excellent performance, scoring a try and being rated one of the best in a beaten Blues team.
On 12 August 2011 Jennings was dropped from the NRL team for showing up to training under the influence of alcohol. He had also been fined $10,000 earlier in 2011 for drinking, and it has been understood that he is on his last chance at the club.
Jennings season was cut short by an injury succumbed in the 26 to 12 loss against the 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...
during Round 24, when Jennings played as fullback. 2011 was quite a down season for Jennings, marred by numerous injuries, off-field controversies, and scoring just 4 tries during the whole year - one at Origin level, one at Club level, and two whilst playing NSW Cup in Round 23 for the Panthers' feeder team, the Windsor Wolves
Windsor Wolves
The Windsor Wolves are a Rugby league team based in the town of Windsor, NSW. The club fields both junior and senior teams in the Penrith district competitions and, since 2003, the semi-professional NSWRL Jim Beam Cup competition in NSW, Australia...
, against the 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...
feeder team, the Central Coast Centurions.