Paddy George
{{Short description|NZ international rugby league footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=June 2014}}
{{Infobox rugby league biography
|first = RU
|name = Paddy George
|fullname = Kenneth Brooking George
|nickname = Paddy
|image =
|imagesize =
|caption =
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1883|05|28|df=yes}}
|birth_place = New Zealand
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1950|08|10|1883|05|28|df=yes}}
|death_place = New Plymouth, New Zealand
|height =
|weight =
|ru_position =
|position = {{rlp|SO}}
|ru_club1 = Star (Taranaki)
|ru_year1start = 1902
|ru_year1end =
|ru_appearances1 =9
|ru_tries1 =2
|ru_goals1 =0
|ru_fieldgoals1 =0
|ru_points1 =6
|ru_club2 = City (Auckland)
|ru_year2start = 1903
|ru_year2end =
|ru_appearances2 =18
|ru_tries2 =8
|ru_goals2 =0
|ru_fieldgoals2 =0
|ru_points2 =24
|ru_teamA = Taranaki Trials
|ru_yearAstart = 1902
|ru_yearAend =
|ru_appearancesA = 2
|ru_triesA = 1
|ru_goalsA = 0
|ru_fieldgoalsA = 0
|ru_pointsA = 3
|ru_teamB = Taranaki
|ru_yearBstart = 1902
|ru_yearBend =
|ru_appearancesB = 3
|ru_triesB = 0
|ru_goalsB = 0
|ru_fieldgoalsB = 0
|ru_pointsB = 0
|ru_teamC = Auckland Trials
|ru_yearCstart = 1903
|ru_yearCend =
|ru_appearancesC = 2
|ru_triesC = 0
|ru_goalsC = 0
|ru_fieldgoalsC = 0
|ru_pointsC = 0
|club1 = Newtown
|year1start = 1912
|year1end = 13
|appearances1 =2
|tries1 =0
|goals1 =2
|fieldgoals1 =0
|points1 =4
|teamA = Wellington
|yearAstart = 1908
|yearAend = 13
|appearancesA =
|triesA =
|goalsA =
|fieldgoalsA =
|pointsA =
|teamB = New Zealand
|yearBstart = 1909
|yearBend = 13
|appearancesB = 6
|triesB = 1
|goalsB = 1
|fieldgoalsB = 0
|pointsB = 5
|new = yes
|retired = yes
|updated = 24 July 2012
}}
Kenneth Brooking "Paddy" George (28 May 1883 – 10 August 1950) was a New Zealand rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for City, and representative rugby league (RL) for New Zealand (non-Test matches), and Wellington, and at club level for Newtown, as a {{rlp|so}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.nzrl.co.nz/roll-of-honour.aspx|title=Roll of Honour at nzrl.co.nz|publisher=nzrl.co.nz|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012|url-status=bot: unknown|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525103203/http://www.nzrl.co.nz/roll-of-honour.aspx|archivedate=25 May 2010|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nzrl.co.nz/past-kiwis/past-kiwis-caps-g.aspx|title=Past Kiwis → G at nzrl.co.nz|publisher=nzrl.co.nz|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012|url-status=bot: unknown|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507102508/http://www.nzrl.co.nz/past-kiwis/past-kiwis-caps-g.aspx|archivedate=7 May 2011|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nzleague.co.nz/pages/kiwis_players.php?player=424|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130223080104/http://www.nzleague.co.nz/pages/kiwis_players.php?player=424|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 February 2013|title=Profile at nzleague.co.nz|publisher=nzleague.co.nz|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}
Playing career
George played rugby in the Taranaki area for the Star club. Despite being in his debut season at the senior level he was selected for 2 trial matches (North team, and Probables team) before being chosen for the Taranaki side. He played 3 matches for them against Canterbury, Wellington, and Auckland before moving to Auckland to start the 1903 season.{{cite news
| title = Football
| page =
| publisher =Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 98
| date = 1903-04-25
| url =https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19030425.2.54.21.3
| accessdate = 2021-03-04}} He played rugby union in the Auckland Rugby Union competition for the City club. City won the competition. In 1904, along with Andrew J. "Paddy" Long, he was found guilty of match-fixing and suspended for 10 years.[http://www.sportingpulse.com/get_file.cgi?id=1839137 Pass it on] Wellington Rugby League, p.5 Long played for the Newton club. The two players had been approached by a bookie and accepted money to throw the result of the match between the two teams. The match was drawn 0-0 and Newton went on to win the championship a week later.
George subsequently moved to Wellington and in 1908 he was part of the very first rugby league match on New Zealand soil, at the end of the 1907-08 All Golds tour.
George then represented Wellington and was part of the 1909 New Zealand tour of Australia.[http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-4979-0-0-0&sID=252320 Team of the Century - Week 4] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108111917/http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-4979-0-0-0&sID=252320 |date=8 November 2012 }} Wellington Rugby League In 1912 he was part of the committee that founded the Newtown rugby league club, which took part in the inaugural Wellington Rugby League competition.
During the 1913 tour of New Zealand by New South Wales, George played against the touring party twice - for Wellington and New Zealand.
Paddy George played {{rlp|so}} in Wellington's 33-18 victory over Auckland during the 1913 New Zealand rugby league season Inter-district competition on Saturday 27 September 1913, this would be Wellington's last victory against Auckland until 1988.Lion Red 1988 Rugby League Annual, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1988. p.p.151-159
Death
George died in 1950 and was buried at Te Henui Cemetery in New Plymouth.{{cite web|url=http://www.newplymouthnz.com/CouncilAtoZ/CemeteriesAndCrematorium/CemeterySearch.htm|title=Cemetery search for George, Kenneth Brooking|date=|website=|publisher=New Plymouth District Council|accessdate=21 April 2014}}
Note
George's nickname of "Paddy" does not appear to be derived from his given names of Kenneth Brooking, although rugbyleagueproject.org, nzrl.co.nz, and nzleague.co.nz, erroneously state his given name as Patrick, this could be a case of reverse-annotation from the nickname Paddy.
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Paddy}}
Category:20th-century New Zealand sportsmen
Category:Burials at Te Henui Cemetery
Category:New Zealand national rugby league team players
Category:New Zealand rugby league players
Category:New Zealand rugby union players
Category:Place of birth missing
Category:Place of death missing
Category:Rugby league five-eighths