Shane McNally
Encyclopedia
Shane McNally is an Australia
n former rugby league
footballer and current Queensland Cup
coach. He was sacked by Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
in June 2005.
before a move to Western Suburbs
in 1975 where he made his first 'A' Grade appearance and captained the Premiership-winning Reserve Grade team under coach Don Oxenham in 1976. After 3 seasons at the Panthers, McNally moved to Gatton Hawks for a season where Gatton became the Ipswich Premiers, McNally scoring all points in the Grand Final, before accepting an offer to return to Brisbane with Eastern Suburbs Tigers. McNally played 107 'A' Grade games for Easts before retiring in 1984.
He was a prop-forward who was also a prolific goal kicker, winning the leading pointscorer trophy three times in the Brisbane 'A' grade competition. He was also a member of Easts' 1983 Premiership team, kicking 3 goals in a 14-6 defeat of Redlciffe Dolphins at Lang Park. McNally represented Queensland, captained by Wally Lewis
on their 1983 tour of England, where he was top pointscorer.
players Geoff Bell
and Paul Green
.
In 1993 he accepted a job as Development Officer for South-East Division of the Queensland Rugby League
. In 1998 he moved to Darwin
to take up Head Coach of the Rugby League program at the Northern Territory Institute of Sport. It was in Brisbane in the seventies that he first met the-then Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Head Coach, Peter Roe.
McNally was appointed Assistant Coach to Peter Roe at Wakefield in November 2001, and was placed in temporary charge in July 2002 after Roe was sacked. His first match in charge was a 22-22 draw against Widnes Vikings
at Belle Vue Stadium
. The following week, Wakefield travelled to London, winning 31-24 over the London Broncos after trailing 0-18 at half time. Following this match, McNally was appointed Football Manager / Coach, in partnership with Adrian Vowles
, who was signed as Player / Coach. Under this leadership, Wakefield stayed up on the last day of the season after defeating Warrington 50-10.
In season 2003, the Wildcats struggled to 11th in the Super League
table and Vowles was released by the club. McNally was appointed Head Coach on a 1 year contract.
Season 2004 was a watershed year for Wakefield, who finished the Super League regular season in 6th place with 30 points. In the first elimination semi-final they defeated Hull 28-18 at the KC Stadium
, setting up a semi final clash with Wigan Warriors
at the JJB Stadium
. Although they led 14-0 early in the match, Wakefield were defeated 14-18 with a controversial 'no-try' ruling costing them dearly. McNally was subsequently awarded the 'Coach of the Year' award and signed a new two-year deal with Wakefield to the end of 2006.
Season 2005 started just as brightly for the Wildcats, winning away at Bradford and home to Wigan, to lead the Super League table for the first time in their history after 2 rounds. The sale of captain Gareth Ellis
, coupled with injuries to key players Sid Domic
and David Solomona
disrupted Wakefield however and after a series of losses, McNally was sacked in June. His last game in charge was a 28-40 loss to the Huddersfield Giants
.
McNally returned to his native Australia in August 2005, where he took a position of Development Manager with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup. After the resignation of Wynnum head coach Neil Wharton in August 2006, McNally was appointed head coach of the Seagulls for the 2007 season.
Shane now has four children, two sons and two daughters.
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 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 and current Queensland Cup
Queensland Cup
The Queensland Cup is the premier rugby league football competition in the State of Queensland, Australia.It is a statewide competition with the majority of teams based in South East Queensland but also including sides based in Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton.The competition began in 1996 as a...
coach. He was sacked by Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
in June 2005.
Playing career
McNally started his playing career at Northern SuburbsNorths Devils
The Northern Suburbs Devils, Norths for short, are a rugby league club representing the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. The team colours are sky blue, navy blue and gold. They play in the Queensland Wizard Cup, and, through their predecessors, are one of the oldest clubs in...
before a move to Western Suburbs
Wests Panthers
The Western Suburbs Panthers, often simply referred to as Wests, are a rugby league club from Brisbane, Australia. The Club is the oldest in the QRL and despite absences from the top grade in recent years and several name changes the club continued to operate...
in 1975 where he made his first 'A' Grade appearance and captained the Premiership-winning Reserve Grade team under coach Don Oxenham in 1976. After 3 seasons at the Panthers, McNally moved to Gatton Hawks for a season where Gatton became the Ipswich Premiers, McNally scoring all points in the Grand Final, before accepting an offer to return to Brisbane with Eastern Suburbs Tigers. McNally played 107 'A' Grade games for Easts before retiring in 1984.
He was a prop-forward who was also a prolific goal kicker, winning the leading pointscorer trophy three times in the Brisbane 'A' grade competition. He was also a member of Easts' 1983 Premiership team, kicking 3 goals in a 14-6 defeat of Redlciffe Dolphins at Lang Park. McNally represented Queensland, captained by Wally Lewis
Wally Lewis
Walter James "Wally" Lewis AM is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. Currently a commentator of the sport, he is widely regarded as the greatest rugby league player of all time...
on their 1983 tour of England, where he was top pointscorer.
Coaching career
Shortly following his retirement, McNally began his coaching career, taking charge of Easts 'A' grade in 1987 before coaching junior teams at East Mt Gravatt Lions. He coached Easts 'Colts' (under 19) team to a 3rd place finish in 1991 before winning a premiership in 1992, a team that featured future State of OriginRugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
players Geoff Bell
Geoff Bell (rugby league)
Geoff Bell is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A Scotland international and Queensland interstate representative threequarter, he played club football for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, North Queensland Cowboys and Penrith Panthers.Bell played for the Queensland...
and Paul Green
Paul Green (rugby league)
Paul Green is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative halfback, he played for several clubs throughout his career and won the Rothmans Medal in 1995.-Early career:Paul Green was a...
.
In 1993 he accepted a job as Development Officer for South-East Division of the Queensland Rugby League
Queensland Rugby League
The Queensland Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League and selects the members of Queensland State of Origin teams....
. In 1998 he moved to Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
to take up Head Coach of the Rugby League program at the Northern Territory Institute of Sport. It was in Brisbane in the seventies that he first met the-then Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Head Coach, Peter Roe.
McNally was appointed Assistant Coach to Peter Roe at Wakefield in November 2001, and was placed in temporary charge in July 2002 after Roe was sacked. His first match in charge was a 22-22 draw against Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
at Belle Vue Stadium
Belle Vue Stadium
Belle Vue Stadium is a greyhound racing track in Belle Vue, Manchester where the very first race around an oval track in Britain was held on 24 July 1926. It is also used for speedway as the home ground of Elite League team Belle Vue Aces since 1988 and since 1999 has British Stock Car Association...
. The following week, Wakefield travelled to London, winning 31-24 over the London Broncos after trailing 0-18 at half time. Following this match, McNally was appointed Football Manager / Coach, in partnership with Adrian Vowles
Adrian Vowles
Adrian Vowles is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played in Australia for several years, gaining State of Origin selection in 1994, but spent the majority of his career in the European Super League...
, who was signed as Player / Coach. Under this leadership, Wakefield stayed up on the last day of the season after defeating Warrington 50-10.
In season 2003, the Wildcats struggled to 11th in the Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
table and Vowles was released by the club. McNally was appointed Head Coach on a 1 year contract.
Season 2004 was a watershed year for Wakefield, who finished the Super League regular season in 6th place with 30 points. In the first elimination semi-final they defeated Hull 28-18 at the KC Stadium
KC Stadium
The KC Stadium, often shortened to the KC, is a multi-purpose facility in the city of Kingston upon Hull , England. Conceived as early as the late 1990s, it was completed in 2002 at a cost of approximately £44 million. It is named after the stadium's sponsors, telecommunications provider KC,...
, setting up a semi final clash with Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
at the JJB Stadium
JJB Stadium
The DW Stadium is a sports stadium in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, that is home to Wigan Athletic football club and Wigan Warriors rugby league club....
. Although they led 14-0 early in the match, Wakefield were defeated 14-18 with a controversial 'no-try' ruling costing them dearly. McNally was subsequently awarded the 'Coach of the Year' award and signed a new two-year deal with Wakefield to the end of 2006.
Season 2005 started just as brightly for the Wildcats, winning away at Bradford and home to Wigan, to lead the Super League table for the first time in their history after 2 rounds. The sale of captain Gareth Ellis
Gareth Ellis
Gareth Ellis is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . He has represented at international level for Great Britain and England and primarily plays in the back row...
, coupled with injuries to key players Sid Domic
Sid Domic
Sid Domic is an Australian rugby league footballer of Aboriginal descent who plays for Dewsbury Rams. Sid is both a dependable rugby league player and a promising artist. He is proud of his heritage and has produced some beautiful pieces of Aboriginal Artwork. Much of his own knowledge in this area...
and David Solomona
David Solomona
David Joseph Solomona is a professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Europe's Super League. He is regularly amongst the top off-loaders in the competition. Solomona also attended St...
disrupted Wakefield however and after a series of losses, McNally was sacked in June. His last game in charge was a 28-40 loss to the Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
.
McNally returned to his native Australia in August 2005, where he took a position of Development Manager with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup. After the resignation of Wynnum head coach Neil Wharton in August 2006, McNally was appointed head coach of the Seagulls for the 2007 season.
Shane now has four children, two sons and two daughters.