Kennedy Cherrington

{{short description|Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer}}

{{Infobox rugby league biography

|name = Kennedy Cherrington

|fullname =

|nickname =

|image =

|imagesize =

|caption =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1999|1|5}}

|birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

|height = {{convert|164|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}

|weight = {{convert|75|kg|stlb|abbr=on}}

|position = {{rlp|LK|PR}}

|club1 = {{nowrap|Sydney Roosters}}

|year1start = 2020

|year1end =

|appearances1 = 4

|tries1 = 0

|goals1 = 0

|fieldgoals1 = 0

|points1 = 0

|club2 = Parramatta Eels

|year2start = 2021

|year2end = present

|appearances2 = 22

|tries2 = 2

|goals2 = 0

|fieldgoals2 = 0

|points2 = 8

|teamA = {{nowrap|New South Wales}}

|yearAstart = 2021 (debut)

|yearAend =

|appearancesA = 3

|triesA = 0

|goalsA = 0

|fieldgoalsA = 0

|pointsA = 0

|teamB = Māori All Stars

|yearBstart = 2021 (debut)

|yearBend =

|appearancesB = 1

|triesB = 0

|goalsB = 0

|fieldgoalsB = 0

|pointsB = 0

|ru_position = Centre

|ru_club1 = {{nowrap|NSW Waratahs}}

|ru_year1start = 2018

|ru_year1end = 20

|ru_appearances1 = 12

|ru_tries1 = 2

|ru_goals1 = 0

|ru_fieldgoals1 = 0

|ru_points1 = 10

|retired =

|source = [https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/kennedy-cherrington/summary.html RLP]

|updated = 17 September 2023

| module = {{infobox person

| embed = yes

| father =

| mother =

| spouse =

| education =

| alma_mater =

| relatives = Anthony Cherrington (cousin)
Manaia Cherrington (cousin)
Norm Berryman (uncle)
Nau Cherrington (grandfather)

}}

Kennedy Cherrington (born 5 January 1999) is an Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer who plays as a {{rlp|pr}} for Parramatta Eels in the NRL Women's Premiership and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NSWRL Women's Premiership.

She previously played rugby union for the NSW Waratahs in the Super W. Also represented Australia at the 2017 Youth Commonwealth Games in the Bahamas. Where her Australian U18s team won Gold. She then represented the Australian Women's 7s side 2 more times at the 2018 Oceania Games (Fiji) winning Gold and the 2019 Pacific Games (Samoa) winning Silver.

Background

Born in Sydney, Cherrington grew up in Perth, Western Australia, where she began playing rugby league for the Rockingham Sharks in 2009. Before switching to rugby union in high school when deemed ineligible to continue playing with the boys after U12s.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/10/08/cherrington-hungry-for-more-after-nrlw-debut-catches-origin-attention/|title=Cherrington hungry for more after NRLW debut catches Origin attention|date=8 October 2020|website=NRL}}{{Cite web|url=https://nrlwa.com.au/womens-invitational-squad/|title=Womens Invitational Squad|date=18 January 2018|website=NRL WA}}

Cherrington's uncle, Norm Berryman, was a professional rugby union player who played one Test for the All Blacks. Her cousins, Anthony and Manaia Cherrington, are former professional rugby league players who both played in the National Rugby League.{{Cite web|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/commonwealth-games/commonwealth-youth-games-2017-peerless-australia-strike-gold-in-womens-rugby-sevens/news-story/1db99af44c7145ff330d1c62fca358f7|title=Commonwealth Youth Games 2017: Peerless Australia strike gold in women's rugby sevens|date=22 July 2017|website=The Courier Mail}}

Playing career

=Rugby union=

In 2017, Cherrington represented the Australian rugby sevens team at the Commonwealth Youth Games in The Bahamas, winning a gold medal.{{Cite web|url=https://commonwealthgames.com.au/bahamas-2017-athlete-profile-kennedy-cherrington/|title=Kennedy Cherrington – Athlete Profile|website=Commonwealth Games}}

In 2018, Cherrington joined the NSW Waratahs in the Super W, starting at centre in their 16–13 Grand Final win over the Queensland Reds.{{Cite web|url=https://ladieswho.com.au/lineout/2018/04/20/marys-wonder-women-super-w-grand-final-tonight/|title=Mary's Wonder Women: Super W grand final – tonight!|date=20 April 2018|website=Ladies Who}} In 2019, she came off the bench in the Waratahs' 8–5 Super W Grand Final win over Queensland.{{Cite web|url=https://nsw.rugby/news/2019/11/04/nsw-waratahs-women-name-team-ahead-of-blockbuster-super-w-final|title=NSW Waratahs Women name team ahead of blockbuster Super W Final|date=3 April 2019|website=NSW Rugby}}

In November 2019, she was a member of the Australia A squad that toured Fiji.{{Cite web|url=https://australia.rugby/news/2019/10/27/australia-a-fiji|title=Australia A Women's Squad to tour Fiji this November|date=28 October 2019|website=Rugby Australia}} In 2020, she began the season playing for the Waratahs before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2020/04/03/super-w-waratahs-champions|title=UPDATE Super W: "Mixed emotions" for Waratahs after third-straight title|date=3 April 2020|website=Rugby.com.au}}

=Rugby league=

In 2020, Cherrington returned to rugby league, joining the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NSWRL Women's Premiership.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sharks.com.au/news/2020/10/29/four-sharks-named-in-nsw-womens-origin-squad/|title=Four Sharks named in NSW Women's Origin squad|date=29 October 2020|website=Cronulla Sharks}} On 22 September 2020, she was announced as a member of the Sydney Roosters NRL Women's Premiership team.{{Cite web|url=https://www.roosters.com.au/news/2020/09/23/roosters-announce-2020-nrlw-squad/|title=Roosters announce 2020 NRLW Squad|date=23 September 2020|website=Sydney Roosters}}

In Round 1 of the 2020 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Roosters in an 18–4 win over the St. George Illawarra Dragons.{{Cite web|url=https://www.roosters.com.au/news/2020/10/03/nrlw-late-mail--game-one/|title=NRLW Late Mail – Game On|date=3 October 2020|website=Sydney Rooosters}} On 19 October 2019, she was named the NRLW Rookie of the Year.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/10/24/how-rookie-cherrington-takes-leaf-out-of-luais-confidence-book/|title=How rookie Cherrington takes leaf out of Luai's confidence book|date=24 October 2020|website=NRL}} On 25 October 2020, she came off the bench in the Roosters' 10–20 Grand Final loss to the Brisbane Broncos.{{Cite web|url=https://www.roosters.com.au/news/2020/10/25/nrlw-late-mail--grand-final/|title=NRLW Late Mail – Grand Final|date=25 October 2020|website=Sydney Roosters}}

On 28 October 2020, Cherrington was named in the New South Wales State of Origin squad but did not play in their 18–24 loss to Queensland.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2020/10/28/nine-new-faces-for-nsw-womens-origin-squad/|title=Nine new faces for NSW Women's Origin squad|date=28 October 2020|website=NSWRL}} On 20 February 2021, she represented the Māori All Stars in their 24–0 win over the Indigenous All Stars.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/02/14/womens-all-stars-preview-new-look-teams-have-plenty-of-talent/|title=McGregor, Harden to lead talented teams|date=20 February 2021|website=NRL}}

In the round 3 matches of the 2023 NRL Women's season, Cherrington scored a try but was sent off later in the game after she spear-tackled Newcastle's Laishon Albert-Jones during Parramatta's 38-4 Loss. Cherrington would later be given the longest suspension in the competition's history with the player being handed a four-week ban.{{cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrlw/nrlw2023-kennedy-cherrington-record-suspension-rugby-league-news-judiciary-nrlw/news-story/e5307d25d59dc40a8238edd5bc599443/|title=NRLW star cops record ban after tackle that was 'lucky' to not result in 'catastrophic injury'|website=www.foxsports.com.au}}

On 23 January 2025, it was announced that Cherrington had re-signed with the club until the end of 2027.{{Cite web |last=Chalk |first=Ethan Lee |date=2025-01-22 |title=NRLW: Cherrington sisters land new deals |url=https://www.zerotackle.com/nrlw-cherrington-sisters-land-new-deals-218348/ |access-date=2025-01-24 |website=Zero Tackle |language=en-US}}