Brian Kelly (rugby league)


Brian from Ballina is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and on the for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL.
He played for the Manly Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League. Kelly played for Country NSW and the Prime Minister's XIII.

Background

Kelly was born in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. He is of Indigenous Australian descent from Bundjalung people.
He played his junior rugby league for the Ballina Seagulls and Lennox Head Dolphins. He was then signed by the Gold Coast Titans.
Kelly is a cousin of Hull F.C. player Albert Kelly and Brisbane Broncos player James Roberts.

Playing career

Early career

From 2014 to 2016, Kelly played for the Gold Coast Titans' NYC team. In July 2015, he played for the New South Wales under-20s team against the Queensland under-20s team. In September 2015, he re-signed with the Titans on a 2-year contract until the end of 2017. In May 2016, he played for the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis. In November 2016, he signed a 3-year contract with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles starting in 2017, after gaining a release from the final year of his Titans contract.

2017

In round 1 of the 2017 NRL season, Kelly made his NRL debut for the Sea Eagles against the Parramatta Eels, scoring a try. On 7 May, Kelly played for Country in the last City vs Country origin, starting on the left wing in a 10-20 loss at Mudgee.

2018

On 8 November, Kelly was released from the final year of his contract to join the Gold Coast Titans on a two-year deal.

2019

Kelly made a total of 23 appearances for the Gold Coast in the 2019 NRL season as the club endured a horror year on and off the field. During the halfway mark of the season, head coach Garth Brennan was sacked by the club after a string of poor results. The Gold Coast managed to win only 4 games for the entire season and finished last claiming the Wooden Spoon.

2020

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and under new NRL biosecurity measures Kelly refused to vaccinate against the flu. He was stood down from the Titans after the Queensland Government stood by the flu vaccination measures previously agreed to by the NRL that 100% of players would be vaccinated prior to the competition restarting. He was given a last minute reprieve from suspension after agreeing to vaccinate.