Kurt Gidley

Kurt Gidley
Kurt Gidley
Born	Kurt Geoffrey Gidley; June 7, 1982 (age 44); Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Professional rugby league player (retired)
Years active	2001–2017
Known for	Rugby league player for Newcastle Knights and Warrington Wolves; captain of New South Wales State of Origin team; Australian international representative

Kurt Geoffrey Gidley (born 7 June 1982) is a retired Australian professional rugby league player who most recently competed for the Warrington Wolves in the Super League. He represented Australia internationally and captained the New South Wales squad in the State of Origin. Before his move to England, Gidley spent his entire National Rugby League career with the Newcastle Knights, where he served as captain in 123 matches. Although primarily utilized as a and , his adaptability enabled him to also fill roles at and during his playing years.

In 2011, Gidley participated in the third season of Channel Seven's show Australia's Greatest Athlete.

Early and personal life

Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, Gidley is the youngest among three siblings, including his brother Matthew Gidley. Prior to turning professional, he worked as an apprentice butcher and played junior rugby league with the Hunter Mariners. His partner is Brooke McNamara.

2000s

Gidley made his first-grade debut for the Newcastle Knights in 2001 at age 19, occupying the Five-eighth position. Although he did not feature in that year’s finals campaign for the Knights, he played in the 2002 World Club Challenge against the Bradford Bulls. In 2004, he became the first Knight to successfully execute a golden point field goal during a match versus the Broncos at Lang Park.

His 2005 season was hampered by injuries; however, by 2006 he earned selection for the Prime Minister's XIII to compete in Papua New Guinea. The following year, Gidley had a strong season, scoring multiple tries and goals—including an impressive 15-point haul in a game against the South Sydney Rabbitohs—and represented New South Wales in State of Origin.

Despite sustaining a fractured cheekbone, Gidley delivered an outstanding performance throughout 2008, topping Newcastle’s scoring with 150 points and nine tries. He was appointed club captain for the 2009 season, taking over from club great Danny Buderus. That same year, he was included in Australia’s preliminary and final squads for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup and featured for Australia in a test match against New Zealand in 2009.

In May 2009, Gidley was named captain and fullback for New South Wales in the opening game of State of Origin. He again led Newcastle’s point-scoring as they finished seventh on the ladder. With an accuracy rate of 82.1% in goal-kicking, he ranked second only to Michael Gordon. Later that year, he was part of Australia’s squad for the 2009 Rugby League Four Nations, coming off the bench to help secure victories over New Zealand, France, and England in the final.

2010s

In January 2010, Gidley earned selection for the NRL All Stars team, chosen as Newcastle’s representative ahead of Ben Cross, Chris Houston, and Jarrod Mullen. Unfortunately, he sustained a knee injury during that match which sidelined him until Round 6 of the NRL season. He played off the bench for Australia in their ANZAC Test win over New Zealand later that year, filling in at dummy half following Cameron Smith’s injury. On 17 May 2010, Gidley was appointed captain and fullback of the New South Wales Blues, making history as the first player to captain from the interchange bench during Game 2 of State of Origin. Amid controversy involving assistant coach Andrew Johns, Gidley publicly defended him. Although he lost captaincy before Game 3 of the series, Gidley made significant contributions including scoring a try and executing crucial plays, earning him the Brad Fittler Medal as NSW’s Player of the Series. He concluded 2010 by representing Australia in the Four Nations Tournament, participating in three matches including the final against New Zealand.

Gidley was again selected for the NRL All Stars team in 2011 as a personal choice by coach Wayne Bennett. He also appeared off the bench for Australia during the 2013 ANZAC Test, contributing to a landmark victory over New Zealand held in Canberra.

On 5 May 2015, after fifteen years competing in the NRL, Gidley signed a one-year deal with Super League club Warrington Wolves. He made an immediate impact on debut by converting two goals and earning Man of the Match honors against defending champions Leeds Rhinos, later receiving April 2016’s Super League Player of the Month award.

Gidley featured prominently as Warrington suffered losses in both the 2016 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium and the 2016 Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford. In June 2017, he announced his intention to retire at season’s end.

Personal life

Gidley is a co-founder and part-owner of Steel City Beer Company, partnering with Andrew Johns, Matthew Johns, Danny Buderus, and Matt Hoy.

External links

Profile at Newcastle Knights