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HallOfFame

Kel O'Shea

Second row

Inductee
52

Player Bio

Inducted:
2008
Date of Birth:
13 July 1933
Birthplace:
Ayr, QLD
Nickname:
-
Debut Team:
North Queensland
Date:
22 June 1952
Opposition:
New Zealand
Venue:
Townsville Sports Reserve, QLD
Representative:
City, Queensland, New South Wales, Australia
Clubs:
Ayr Colts, Western Suburbs, Maitland

Career

Milestones

  • Grand Finals Appearances: 1961, 1963
  • JG Stephenson Trophy: 1954
  • Kangaroo Tour: 1956-57
  • Rated No. 72 in Rugby League Week’s Top 100 players: 1992
  • Named in NRL Team of the 1950s: 2007

Playing

First Class Games
177
Points
150
Tries
50

Biography

In the history of rugby league in Australia, it is difficult to find a more devastating second-row combination than Kel O'Shea and Norm Provan.

Both were tall, strong, fast and non-stop workers in attack and defence.

O'Shea gained his first representative selection for Queensland and then Australia in 1954, while he was playing in Ayr in Queensland.

It was simply a matter of time before he was enticed to move to Sydney and in 1956 he signed with Western Suburbs and was a cornerstone in their drive up the competition ladder.

In his first season in the Sydney premiership he played for NSW and in Tests against New Zealand, before making the 1956–57 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France.

O'Shea played in the three Tests in England on that tour, but without Provan, who had to watch from the stand because of a nagging leg injury.

In 1957, O'Shea was a key member of Australia's outstanding World Cup team. He wound up his representative career with selection in the three Tests against Great Britain in 1958, but premiership victory eluded him against the might of the great St George machine.

O'Shea played in 112 first-grade games for Western Suburbs, including the 1961 and 1963 grand finals (he was injured in 1958 and ill in 1962).

 “He had more speed over the paddock than any second-rower I ever saw.”

Norm Provan 1956-57 Kangaroo team-mate

52. Kel O'Shea - Hall of Fame

Career Stats

Club Career

Club
Team Name Competition Year Start Year End Played Tries Goals Field Goals Points
Ayr Colts Ayr Competition 1951 1954 - - - - -
Southern Suburbs Brisbane Brisbane Club Competition 1955 1955 5 3 - - 9
Western Suburbs Premiership 1956 1963 111 30 - - 90
Western Suburbs Official Pre-Season 1962 1962 5 2 - - 6
Maitland Newcastle Competition 1964 1965 - - - - -

Representative Career

City - Country

City - Country
Team Name Opponent Year Start Year End Played Tries Goals Field Goals Points
City Firsts Country Firsts
1956
1958
1961
1956
1958
1961 		3 - - - -
City Seconds Country Seconds 1959 1959 1 1 - - 3

Intercity

Intercity
Team Name Competition Opponent Year Start Year End Played Tries Goals Field Goals Points
North Queensland Touring International Teams 1952 1953 2 2 - - 6

State

State
Team Name Competition Opponent Year Start Year End Played Tries Goals Field Goals Points
Queensland Interstate Series New South Wales 1953 1955 8 - - - -
Queensland Touring Sides 1953 1954 2 2 - - 6
New South Wales Interstate Series Queensland 1956 1958 7 - - - -
New South Wales Touring Sides 1958 1958 1 - - - -

International

International
Team Name Competition Year Start Year End Played Tries Goals Field Goals Points
Australia Tests and World Cup 1954 1958 20 7 - - 21
Australia Tour Matches
1954
1956
1954
1957 		11 3 - - 9
Australia Rest of the World 1957 1957 1 - - - -

Hall of Fame Members

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Acknowledgement of Country

National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.

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