1. Stephen Peter Kearney was born on 11 June 1972 and is a New Zealand professional rugby league football coach who until 2020 was the head coach of the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL and a former player.
27 Facts About Stephen Kearney
1. 2.
Stephen Kearney was previously the head coach of the New Zealand national team, with whom he won the 2008 World Cup and 2011 Four Nations tournaments.
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Stephen Kearney previously coached the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League.
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Stephen Kearney made his senior debut in 1991 for the Randwick Kingfishers and played for Wellington that year.
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Stephen Kearney left the Magpies at the end of 1994, returning home to play for the Auckland Warriors in their inaugural season.
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Stephen Kearney missed the first test match against a re-unified Australian team in 1998 due to suspension.
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Stephen Kearney remained a Warrior until 1998, when he moved to Australia to join the Melbourne Storm.
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Stephen Kearney was selected for the New Zealand team to compete in the end of season 1999 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament.
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FC, with Stephen Kearney playing at second-row forward in the victory.
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In 2002 Stephen Kearney missed the series-deciding match against Great Britain as he had to rush back home to Melbourne to be with his sick five-year-old daughter, who needed emergency surgery.
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Stephen Kearney played his last test match for the Kiwis in 2004, in a game that marked the debut of Sonny Bill Williams.
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Stephen Kearney finished his playing career with English club Hull FC in the Super League competition, playing in their 2005 Challenge Cup-winning side.
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In 2006 Stephen Kearney retired from playing and returned to Australia to take up a role as assistant coach at his old club, the Melbourne Storm, under Craig Bellamy.
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In 2008 Stephen Kearney was appointed as the New Zealand national rugby league team head coach on a two-year contract.
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Stephen Kearney coached the Kiwis to their first World Cup win.
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Stephen Kearney left the Eels with just 10 wins from 42 matches, a very poor winning percentage of 24 percent.
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In October 2012 Stephen Kearney signed a two-year contract as Brisbane Broncos assistant coach from 2013.
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Stephen Kearney coached the holders, New Zealand in the 2013 World Cup where they were beaten in the final by Australia.
19.
In March 2015, Stephen Kearney signed a new deal to remain as coach of the Kiwis until the conclusion of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
20.
On 12 September 2016, Stephen Kearney stepped down from his role as coach of New Zealand after accepting a return to head coaching in the NRL as coach of the New Zealand Warriors on a three-year deal.
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Stephen Kearney replaced Andrew McFadden who remained at the Warriors as his assistant.
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In 2018 Stephen Kearney's season started brightly, with the club winning their first 5 matches of the season, for the first time in the club's history.
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Stephen Kearney signed a contract to extend his time as head coach of the Warriors until 2022 at the end of February 2019.
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On 20 June 2020, Stephen Kearney was sacked by the New Zealand Warriors, due to poor results, and was replaced by his assistant coach Todd Payten.
25.
Stephen Kearney returned to the Melbourne Storm for the 2021 NRL season, signing a one-year deal as an assistant coach.
26.
In 2007 Stephen Kearney was named in the Melbourne Storm team of the decade.
27.
In 2012 Stephen Kearney was named as one of the New Zealand Rugby League's Legends of League.