Noel Kelly

Playing Career

Vital Statistics

Full Name
Noel Raymond Kelly
Nickname(s)
Ned
Born
Wednesday, 22nd January, 1936
Current Age
88 years and 67 days
Place Of Birth
Ipswich, Queensland, Australia

Awards & Accolades

National Rugby League Hall Of Fame
2008

Biography

The first hooker/prop forward to make three Kangaroo tours (1959-60, 1963-64 & 1967-68), Noel ‘Ned’ Kelly represented Queensland in 1959 while part of a great Ipswich front row partnership with Gary Parcell and Dud Beattie. Queensland's success that year under Clive Churchill saw Kelly play for Australia against NZ before touring with the Kangaroos. He was the No.2 hooker to Ian Walsh on tour but played in one Test against France. In 1960 he represented Australia in the First Test against France and in the World Cup before commencing a long career with Wests. Kelly played in three straight grand final losses against St George (1961-63) but his Test career continued unabated. In 1963 he played Tests against all three League nations as well as newcomers South Africa and made his second Kangaroo tour, supporting Australian captain and hooker Ian Walsh as a front row forward. Kelly was a roguish character, as his comical sending off (twice in the same match!) in a tour game in Avignon, France at testifies. On his third Kangaroo tour he was back at hooker in five Test matches. He left Wests after two years as captain-coach (1968-69) but later regretted his season as captain-coach of Wollongong in 1970. Kelly later coached Norths (1973-76) as well as taking a combined Sydney team on a tour of NZ in 1976.
- ALAN WHITICKER

Playing Career Statistics

All statistics shown in this section are based only on data available in the RLP database, and are not necessarily a complete and/or 100% accurate representation of a player's career. This information should be used as a guide only. If you see a question mark (?), it denotes that the figure is not available.

To view a list of corresponding matches, click on the List button.

Competitions

Competition   App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Interstate Matches 10 2 -   - 6 7 2 1 70.00% List
Tour Matches Australia 30 3 1   - 11 22 6 2 73.33% List
Test Series 25 2 -   - 3 18 5 2 72.00% List
Tour Matches Queensland Firsts 2 - -   - - 1 1 0 50.00% List
World Cup 3 1 -   - 3 2 1 0 66.67% List
NRL 111 6 -   - 18 62 46 3 55.86% List
NRL Finals 7 - -   - - 3 4 0 42.86% List
Craven Mild Cup 34 1 -   - 3 20 10 4 58.82% List
City vs Country Firsts 2 1 -   - 3 2 0 0 100.00% List
Tour Matches Sydney Firsts 2 - -   - - 2 0 0 100.00% List
The Ashes 8 1 -   - 6 6 2 0 75.00% List
Tour Matches New South Wales Firsts 1 - -   - - 1 0 0 100.00% List


International

Test Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Australia 1959-60, 1963-64, 1966-68 29 3 1   - 11 21 6 2 72.41% List

International Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Australia 1959-1960 1 2 -   - 6 1 0 0 100.00% List

World Cup Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Australia 1959-1960 3 1 -   - 3 2 1 0 66.67% List


Representative

Australia - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
QLD Firsts 1959-60 7 1 -   - 3 5 2 0 71.43% List
Sydney Firsts 1963-64 2 - -   - - 2 0 0 100.00% List
NSW Firsts 1963-64, 1966-67 6 1 -   - 3 4 1 1 66.67% List
NSW City Firsts 1963-64 2 1 -   - 3 2 0 0 100.00% List
Overall1959-1967 17 3 0   0 9 13 3 1 76.47% List


Club Career

NRL/NSWRL - By Year

Team Season App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1961 13 - -   - - 9 4 0 69.23% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1962 16 2 -   - 6 9 6 1 56.25% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1963 17 1 -   - 3 13 4 0 76.47% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1964 16 - -   - - 6 9 1 37.50% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1965 6 - -   - - 3 3 0 50.00% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1966 11 - -   - - 7 4 0 63.64% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1967 9 - -   - - 4 4 1 44.44% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1968 4 - -   - - 2 2 0 50.00% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1969 19 3 -   - 9 9 10 0 47.37% List

NRL/NSWRL - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Western Suburbs 1961-69 111 6 -   - 18 62 46 3 55.86% List

Your Say

  • Colin Wood
    01/03/2012

    Noel Kelly was easily the toughest football player I ever saw. He could knock a man down with one punch and rarely took a backward step on the field. Off the field he was(and is) a gentleman. My mother and I often visited his butcher shop in the 1960's and he was always cheerful and polite to all his customers.

  • keith pearce
    06/11/2013

    i meet mr kelly in sydney many years ago i was taking whoa mate who was going for trials i took to western subs as he had no car i asked mr kelly could i train with them which he agreed i played in a trial match and he pick me to play against balmain but i soon found i was never good enough i got injured it took weeks to get with my own laperouse i phoned him to tell him i was fit but told him iknew i was out of my depth he was insistant a tryed again and made me feel confident again i was ever graetfull to have met this gentle giant of rugby league and wish him all the happiness in the worid kp

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Contributions: Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson, Greg Fiveash, Rugby League Tables, Alan Katzmann, Paul Carter, Max Turner, Bill Bates