Noel Kelly (rugby league)

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Noel Raymond Kelly OAM (22 January 1936 – 14 June 2020) was an Australian rugby league player and coach. Born in Ipswich and raised in Goodna, he became one of the game’s great forwards, playing mainly as a hooker but also as a prop or lock.

Club career
Kelly began in Ipswich with Railways and Brothers, then moved to Ayr before joining the Western Suburbs Magpies in Sydney, where he played from 1961 to 1969 (and captained the team as captain-coach from 1966 to 1969). He appeared in three consecutive grand finals with Wests (1961–1963). In 1970 he played for Wollongong, then returned to Sydney to coach the North Sydney Bears from 1973 to 1976.

Representative career
He represented Queensland in 1959–60, played for Australia in 1959–68 (25 tests), and also appeared for New South Wales in 1966.

Coaching and legacy
Beyond his playing days, Kelly remained involved in the game as a coach and administrator, including a role with the Men of League Foundation. He was named captain and hooker of the Western Suburbs Magpies Team of the Century (2004) and was selected in Australia’s 100 Greatest Players (2008) and Team of the Century, as well as Queensland’s Team of the Century. The Noel Kelly Medal for the best forward at Wests Tigers is named in his honour. He received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2018 for services to rugby league.

Death
Kelly died in Sydney on 14 June 2020 at the age of 84, after suffering a heart attack–induced stroke on 16 May 2020.