Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Leigh Stephen Hennessy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Sydney, New South Wales, New South Wales | 14 August 1976|||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Fullback, Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] |
Leigh Hennessy (born 14 August 1976) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played with the Balmain Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL). He primarily played at fullback.
Hennessy was graded by the now defunct Balmain Tigers in 1997. He made his first grade debut at fullback in his side's 30−16 loss to the Newcastle Knights at Leichhardt Oval in round 23 of the 1998 season, replacing the injured goal kicking fullback Shannon Nevin. Hennessy also scored his only points in first grade in this match, kicking 2 goals. His final game of first grade came the following week in the Tigers' 40−4 loss to the Sydney City Roosters at Leichhardt Oval in round 24 of the 1998 season. The Tigers finished the season in 13th position and folded at the end of following the season.
Hennessy remained at Balmain during the 1999 season, but did not make any appearances in first grade. Balmain controversially merged with rivals the Western Suburbs Magpies to form the Wests Tigers as part of the NRL's rationalization strategy. Hennessy was not offered a contract to play with the newly formed team for the 2000 NRL season and subsequently never played first grade rugby league again. [2]
After his departure from Balmain, Hennessy went on to play, coach, and become club president of the Eden Tigers in the Group 16 competition. [3] [4]
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and Western Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs Magpies. The Wests Tigers started playing in the 2000 NRL season and they won their maiden premiership in 2005. It is one of only two clubs that has never lost a Grand Final in which it has participated. The club also won the World Sevens in 2004.
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles. In 1999 they formed a joint venture club with the Western Suburbs Magpies club to form the Wests Tigers for competition in the National Rugby League (NRL). They no longer field any senior teams in the lower divisions. At the time of the joint venture only South Sydney Rabbitohs and the St George Dragons had won more titles than the Tigers.
Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Sydney Stadium. Prior to its merger with the Western Suburbs Magpies, it was the longtime home of the Balmain Tigers, who used the ground from 1934–1994 and 1997–1999. It was named after Ludwig Leichhardt.
William Keith Barnes AM, also known by the nickname of "Golden Boots", is a Welsh-born Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He was a fullback for the Australian national team and for the Balmain Tigers. He played in 14 Tests between 1959 and 1966, as national captain on 12 occasions. He was known as "Golden Boots" due to his exceptional goal-kicking ability. After his playing days he became a referee and later co-commentated on the Amco Cup on Network Ten with Ray Warren in the 1970s. He is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
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