Don McKinnon (rugby league)
Encyclopedia
Don McKinnon is an Australia
n former professional rugby league
footballer of the 1970s and 80s. He played for the North Sydney Bears
in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership as well as the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
, and represented New South Wales and Australia. McKinnon primarily played as a prop.
McKinnon played 183 games for the Bears between 1977–87, scoring 19 tries. He then signed to play with Manly in 1988 and played in six games, scoring one try. Famously he was fined $10,000 for urinating on the field during the Sea Eagles clash with the Brisbane Broncos
at Lang Park
in round 1, 1988. The incident was caught on television. He went on to play in the Sea Eagles Reserve Grade Grand Final win at the end of the year. McKinnon retired after the victory.
McKinnon was selected to represent New South Wales as a front-rower for game III of the 1982 State of Origin
series and toured with The Invincibles
in the same year.
McKinnon is a member of a famous footballing family. His father Harry, his uncle Don
and older brothers Doug and Max all played rugby league for the Bears.
Post-playing Don served on the National Rugby League
judiciary.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n former professional rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of the 1970s and 80s. He played for the North Sydney Bears
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership as well as the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
, and represented New South Wales and Australia. McKinnon primarily played as a prop.
McKinnon played 183 games for the Bears between 1977–87, scoring 19 tries. He then signed to play with Manly in 1988 and played in six games, scoring one try. Famously he was fined $10,000 for urinating on the field during the Sea Eagles clash with the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
at Lang Park
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
in round 1, 1988. The incident was caught on television. He went on to play in the Sea Eagles Reserve Grade Grand Final win at the end of the year. McKinnon retired after the victory.
McKinnon was selected to represent New South Wales as a front-rower for game III of the 1982 State of Origin
1982 Rugby League State of Origin series
The 1982 State of Origin series was the first annual full 3-match series, between New South Wales and Queensland to be played under "state of origin" selection rules. This year the Origin concept was fully embraced, with no matches using the previous seventy-four years' residential-based selection...
series and toured with The Invincibles
The Invincibles (rugby league)
The Australia national rugby league team have generally since 1908 barring wartime, toured Great Britain every four years often capping the tour with games and Tests in France. This regular touring side are known as the Kangaroos...
in the same year.
McKinnon is a member of a famous footballing family. His father Harry, his uncle Don
Don McKinnon
Sir Donald Charles "Don" McKinnon, ONZ, GCVO is a former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand. He was the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations from 2000 until 2008.-Early life:...
and older brothers Doug and Max all played rugby league for the Bears.
Post-playing Don served on the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
judiciary.