Another member of the Canterbury Cup NSW premiers and State Championship winners the Newtown Jets, William Kennedy is primed to make huge strides in 2020 with much more first-grade experience on the horizon.
Looking at the Sharks’ depth of talent in the outside backs - the likes of Xerri, Dugan, Morris, Feki, Mulitalo, Ramien and Moylan - the fullback-preferred Kennedy will only benefit from some very healthy competition while aiming for further appearances in the NRL.
Based on his performances across just two top-level games for Cronulla-Sutherland in 2019, Kennedy will look right at home if the opportunity presents itself for more time in the starting line-up. From his two NRL matches this season, Kennedy produced six tackle-breaks and ran for 207 metres including 74 from kick returns.
Having now spent two seasons playing in the Canterbury Cup NSW competition, the 22-year-old has shown he can mix it with players of greater experience, and his consistent form in 48 matches for the Newtown Jets has continued to prove that.
Through 2018 and this year, Kennedy has scored 30 tries with 23 try-assists, 27 line-breaks and 22 line-break assists. He has also averaged 102 run metres and 3.5 tackle-breaks, maintaining his reputation as one of the Jets’ key attacking weapons.
His stunning Man of the Match performance in the Canterbury Cup NSW Grand Final inspired Newtown to a memorable extra-time victory – and marked a fine moment that proved Kennedy is well and truly a big-game player.
While Kennedy made a well-deserved NRL debut after the Sharks’ unfortunate run of injuries to begin 2019, a remarkable year with the Jets that included the winning try in the Canterbury Cup NSW Grand Final should have him in good stead for more first-grade games in the upcoming year.
