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| Born | (1991-03-21)21 March 1991 (age 33) Macksville, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 88 kg (13 st 12 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Five-eighth, Halfback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 18 January 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albert Kelly (born 21 March 1991) is an Australian professionalrugby league footballer who plays as afive-eighth orhalfback for theRedcliffe Dolphins in theHostplus Cup.
He has previously played for theCronulla-Sutherland Sharks and theGold Coast Titans in theNational Rugby League (NRL), andHull Kingston Rovers andHull F.C. in theSuper League. He has also spent time with theSouths Logan Magpies in the Hostplus Cup.
Kelly was born inMacksville, New South Wales,Australia and grew up inKempsey, New South Wales.
He started playing at the age of five, he is a product ofGroup 2 junior rugby league.[3] He attendedSt Paul's College, Kempsey[4] before moving to Sydney and attendingPatrician Brothers' College, Blacktown. He was selected in the New South Wales under-15s Combined Catholic High Schools' rugby league side as five-eighth. In 2008, he played for the Australian Schoolboys where he was vice-captain. He was chased by theSydney Roosters andSt. George Illawarra Dragons, before being signed by theParramatta Eels on a four-year contract.[5]
In 2008 to 2010, Kelly playedToyota Cup for theParramatta Eels' Toyota Cup team, scoring 11 tries in 23 games, and also played for theNew South Wales under-18s.[6]
He then played for Cronulla's Toyota Cup team in 2010, scoring three tries in 11 games.
In Round 1 of the2010 NRL season he made hisNRL début for Cronulla-Sutherland against theMelbourne Storm, but played only five matches that year due to injury. He returned in Round 1 of the 2011 season. He scored his first twoNRL tries against thePenrith Panthers in Round 3 of the2011 NRL season. In Round 7, he broke his leg after an attempted tackle playing against theNorth Queensland Cowboys. Kelly returned for the last two matches of the season. In 2012, Kelly fell out of favour with Cronulla coachShane Flanagan and was sacked mid-season.
| Season | Matches | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| 2011 | 9 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Total | 14 | 8 | - | - | 8 |
In 2012, he signed with the Charlestown-based Central Newcastle Butcher Boys in theNewcastle Rugby League. While signed to Central, Kelly also trained with theNewcastle Knights from early April, as the Knights' coach,Wayne Bennett, offered Kelly help in getting his career and life back on track.[7] He then signed with the Knights to play in theNew South Wales Cup competition.[8]
In June 2012, Kelly was suspended before having his contract terminated after pleading guilty in court to smashing a light at Newcastle nightclub Fannys.[9][10]
In 2013, Kelly joined theGold Coast Titans to trial for a contract. He made his début for the Titans against theCronulla-Sutherland Sharks. They lost the game 12–10, however there were good signs for Kelly, producing a try assist. In his next game, he scored a double and another try assist against theCanberra Raiders in the 36-0 demolition. On 22 August 2014, Kelly became one of the current NRL players and former Sharks players to accept reduced bans from theAustralian Sports Anti-Doping Authority for his role in the club's 2011supplements program.[11]
| Season | Matches | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 21 | 11 | - | - | 44 |
| 2014 | 12 | 5 | - | - | 20 |
| Total | 33 | 16 | - | - | 64 |
On 18 October 2014, Kelly was released from the Titans alongsideMaurice Blair to sign two-year contracts withHull Kingston Rovers, replacing Australian halvesTravis Burns andKris Keating.[12][13] On 30 September 2015, he was named Hull KR Player of the Year.[14] In 2015, Kelly played in the2015 Challenge Cup final suffering a loss of 50–0 againstLeeds Rhinos.
| Season | Matches | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 20 | 15 | 2 | - | 64 |
| Total | 20 | 15 | 2 | - | 64 |
After two seasons at Hull Kingston Rovers he moved to rivals Hull F.C.[15] On 26 August 2017, Kelly played in the2017 Challenge Cup final for Hull F.C., winning the game 18–14 against theWigan Warriors atWembley Stadium[16]
He was also named in the2017 Super League Dream Team and finishing as Man of Steel runner up 2017.
In 2018 footage emerged of Kelly verbally abusing a femaleMcDonald's employee while intoxicated. Hull FC released a statement a few days later saying the incident had been dealt with internally.[17]
Kelly joined Brisbane on a train and trial contract ahead of the2021 NRL season.[18] He spent the early part of 2021 playing for theSouths Logan Magpies in theHostplus Cup. While playing for the Magpies in March 2021, Kelly suffered a laceration to his right ear after clashing heads with another player.[19]
He was selected in the halves to replace the droppedAnthony Milford ahead of the round 11 fixture against theSydney Roosters.[20][21][22]
On 3 April 2022, it was announced that Kelly had been placed under investigation by the Brisbane club after video footage emerged which showed Kelly being involved in a drunken fight with teammatePayne Haas.[23]
On 18 January 2023, Kelly signed a contract to join Redcliffe in theQueensland Cup.[24]
In November 2023, Kelly signed a contract to join Souths Magpies in theQueensland Cup.[25]
Kelly is a cousin of playerGreg Inglis.[26]
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