Kennedy Cherrington (born 5 January 1999) is an Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer who plays as a prop for Parramatta Eels in the NRL Women's Premiership and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NSWRL Women's Premiership.

Kennedy Cherrington
Personal information
Born (1999-01-05) 5 January 1999 (age 25)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height164 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight75 kg (11 st 11 lb)
Playing information
Rugby league
PositionLock, Prop
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2020 Sydney Roosters 4 0 0 0 0
2021– Parramatta Eels 22 2 0 0 8
Total 26 2 0 0 8
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2021 (debut) New South Wales 3 0 0 0 0
2021 (debut) Māori All Stars 1 0 0 0 0
Rugby union
PositionCentre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2018–20 NSW Waratahs 12 2 0 0 10
Source: RLP
As of 17 September 2023

She previously played rugby union for the NSW Waratahs in the Super W. Also represented Australia at the 2017 Youth Commonwealth Games in the Bahamas. Where her Australian U18s team won Gold. She then represented the Australian Women's 7s side 2 more times at the 2018 Oceania Games (Fiji) winning Gold and the 2019 Pacific Games (Samoa) winning Silver.

Background

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Born in Sydney, Cherrington grew up in Perth, Western Australia, where she began playing rugby league for the Rockingham Sharks in 2009. Before switching to rugby union in high school when deemed ineligible to continue playing with the boys after U12s.[1][2]

Cherrington's uncle, Norm Berryman, was a professional rugby union player who played one Test for the All Blacks. Her cousins, Anthony and Manaia Cherrington, are former professional rugby league players who both played in the National Rugby League.[3]

Playing career

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Rugby union

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In 2017, Cherrington represented the Australian rugby sevens team at the Commonwealth Youth Games in The Bahamas, winning a gold medal.[4]

In 2018, Cherrington joined the NSW Waratahs in the Super W, starting at centre in their 16–13 Grand Final win over the Queensland Reds.[5] In 2019, she came off the bench in the Waratahs' 8–5 Super W Grand Final win over Queensland.[6]

In November 2019, she was a member of the Australia A squad that toured Fiji.[7] In 2020, she began the season playing for the Waratahs before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

Rugby league

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In 2020, Cherrington returned to rugby league, joining the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NSWRL Women's Premiership.[9] On 22 September 2020, she was announced as a member of the Sydney Roosters NRL Women's Premiership team.[10]

In Round 1 of the 2020 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Roosters in an 18–4 win over the St. George Illawarra Dragons.[11] On 19 October 2019, she was named the NRLW Rookie of the Year.[12] On 25 October 2020, she came off the bench in the Roosters' 10–20 Grand Final loss to the Brisbane Broncos.[13]

On 28 October 2020, Cherrington was named in the New South Wales State of Origin squad but did not play in their 18–24 loss to Queensland.[14] On 20 February 2021, she represented the Māori All Stars in their 24–0 win over the Indigenous All Stars.[15]

In the round 3 match of the 2023 NRL Women’s season, Cherrington scored a try but was sent off later in the game after she spear tackled Newcastle's Laishon Albert-Jones during Parramatta 38-4 Loss. Cherrington would later be given the longest suspension in the competition's history with the player being handed a four-week ban.[16]

Achievements and accolades

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Individual

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  • NRLW Rookie of the Year: 2020

References

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  1. ^ "Cherrington hungry for more after NRLW debut catches Origin attention". NRL. 8 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Womens Invitational Squad". NRL WA. 18 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Commonwealth Youth Games 2017: Peerless Australia strike gold in women's rugby sevens". The Courier Mail. 22 July 2017.
  4. ^ "Kennedy Cherrington – Athlete Profile". Commonwealth Games.
  5. ^ "Mary's Wonder Women: Super W grand final – tonight!". Ladies Who. 20 April 2018.
  6. ^ "NSW Waratahs Women name team ahead of blockbuster Super W Final". NSW Rugby. 3 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Australia A Women's Squad to tour Fiji this November". Rugby Australia. 28 October 2019.
  8. ^ "UPDATE Super W: "Mixed emotions" for Waratahs after third-straight title". Rugby.com.au. 3 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Four Sharks named in NSW Women's Origin squad". Cronulla Sharks. 29 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Roosters announce 2020 NRLW Squad". Sydney Roosters. 23 September 2020.
  11. ^ "NRLW Late Mail – Game On". Sydney Rooosters. 3 October 2020.
  12. ^ "How rookie Cherrington takes leaf out of Luai's confidence book". NRL. 24 October 2020.
  13. ^ "NRLW Late Mail – Grand Final". Sydney Roosters. 25 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Nine new faces for NSW Women's Origin squad". NSWRL. 28 October 2020.
  15. ^ "McGregor, Harden to lead talented teams". NRL. 20 February 2021.
  16. ^ "NRLW star cops record ban after tackle that was 'lucky' to not result in 'catastrophic injury'". www.foxsports.com.au.
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