Brett Kimmorley

Brett Kimmorley
Brett Kimmorley
Born	Brett Kimmorley; September 15, 1976 (age 50); Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation(s)	Rugby league player, coach, broadcaster
Years active	1995–2010 (player), 2011–present (coach)
Known for	Australian rugby league halfback, Clive Churchill Medalist, NRL player and coach

Brett "Noddy" Kimmorley (born 15 September 1976) is a former Australian professional rugby league player and current coach, whose career spanned from the 1990s into the early 2010s. Recognized as a halfback for New South Wales in interstate matches and for Australia internationally, he wrapped up his playing days with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL.

Throughout his club tenure, Kimmorley also played for the Newcastle Knights, Hunter Mariners, Melbourne Storm, Northern Eagles, and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. He earned four appearances representing Country NSW and ten for New South Wales, while making 15 appearances for Australia—including participation in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup—and featured in two Super League Tests. His retirement came after the conclusion of the 2010 NRL season.

Early life

Brett Kimmorley began playing football alongside his brother, Craig, representing junior teams such as the Lakes United Seagulls and Valentine-Eleebana Red Devils. His father, Des Kimmorley, had a playing history with Lakes United and also represented both NSW Country and NSW. Brett attended Belmont High School, where he was selected for the 1994 Australian Schoolboys squad.

1990s

Kimmorley made his first-grade debut for the Newcastle Knights on 21 July 1995 at Energy Australia Stadium against Manly. Filling in due to an injury to Andrew Johns, he scored his inaugural try in only his second match and played a key role by scoring two tries during the Knights’ reserve grade premiership win that year.

With limited opportunities at halfback because of Johns’ dominance, Kimmorley transferred mid-1997 to the newly formed Super League franchise, the Hunter Mariners, located in Newcastle. The Mariners secured seven victories and reached the final of the 1997 World Club Championship. Kimmorley was their only player chosen to represent Australia in the three-match Super League series against Great Britain.

Following the end of Super League in 1998 and the subsequent dissolution of the Mariners, Kimmorley signed a three-year deal with the newly founded Melbourne Storm, joining several former Mariners teammates. He participated in every game during the 1998 season. His peak performance came in 1999 when he was honored as Melbourne Storm’s player of the year. That same year, he captained the Storm to their first premiership triumph in the 1999 NRL Grand Final against the St George Illawarra Dragons, earning the Clive Churchill medal as best on ground by engineering a comeback and assisting on the decisive try. He was selected for Australia’s squad in the 1999 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament, starting at halfback in the final where Australia defeated New Zealand 22–20.

2000s

After securing the 1999 Premiership, Kimmorley featured at halfback for Melbourne Storm in their victory over Super League champions St Helens R.F.C. during the 2000 World Club Challenge. He made his State of Origin debut for New South Wales that year, contributing to a series clean sweep. In 2001, Kimmorley moved from Victoria to join the Northern Eagles, though he experienced an unsatisfactory season. When that merged club dissolved, he followed former Melbourne coach Chris Anderson to sign with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, where he remained for seven seasons spanning 2002 to 2008.

During his inaugural year at Cronulla, Kimmorley set a new club record for points scored in a single match against Newcastle and guided the Sharks to a preliminary final appearance, ultimately losing to eventual runners-up New Zealand Warriors. The season was marked by controversy when Anderson replaced popular player Preston Campbell with Kimmorley at halfback, eliciting mixed responses from supporters.

In 2003, Kimmorley was appointed team captain ahead of David Peachey and secured a five-year contract extension. He took part in the 2003 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France, playing a crucial role with last-minute field goals that helped Australia achieve a series whitewash.

The 2004 campaign proved disappointing both for Kimmorley and Cronulla as they missed finals amid injury challenges that prevented him from participating in State of Origin. Nevertheless, he was selected for Australia’s squad in the 2004 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament and played halfback during their emphatic 44–4 final victory over Great Britain.

Cronulla began strongly in 2005 with six straight wins; however, following an intercept pass by Kimmorley that contributed to New South Wales’ defeat in State of Origin Game I, his confidence and club form suffered a downturn despite early-season success maintaining finals contention.

In 2006, Kimmorley did not regain representative honors as Cronulla slipped from second place to finish twelfth after enduring a ten-match losing streak.

His fortunes improved under new coach Ricky Stuart, himself a former representative halfback, during 2007 when Kimmorley was called up for New South Wales in State of Origin Games II and III due to an injury to Jarrod Mullen.

Kimmorley signed a two-year contract with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs commencing in 2009. There he assumed a senior leadership position and was considered for captaincy. On 26 August 2010, he declared his intention to retire from professional rugby league at season’s end.

Playing statistics

Competed in more than 300 top-tier matches across six different teams
Accumulated upwards of 700 points, including a total of 82 tries throughout his career

Personal accolades

Clive Churchill Medal recipient: 1999 Dally M Halfback of the Year: 2000

Coaching career

Following his retirement from playing, Kimmorley took on the role of assistant coach with the Bulldogs from 2011 to 2012. In 2012, he signed a two-year contract as assistant coach under David Furner at the Canberra Raiders. He led the Wests Tigers Under-20s squad as head coach in 2015, guiding them to the second round of the finals before leaving the position. In 2022, after Michael Maguire's exit from Wests Tigers, Kimmorley was named interim head coach for the remainder of that season. He achieved his inaugural victory in round 20 against Brisbane but was also at the helm during the club’s record-setting 72-6 defeat by the Sydney Roosters in round 23.

Media career

After concluding his playing days, Kimmorley transitioned into broadcasting, joining Fox Sports as a sideline commentator and typically covering one to two games each round. Additionally, he serves as an NRL correspondent for the Seven Network.

Personal life

Kimmorley’s spouse, Sharnie, tragically passed away due to a brain tumour on 23 March 2017.

External links