Steve Kneen
Encyclopedia
Steve Kneen is an Australian former professional rugby league
footballer who played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
competition. He was also selected on the 1978 tour to Britain with the Australian side but did not play in a Test. He primarily played at second-row forward.
in the CSDRFL
before moving south to Wollongong
to work in the mines. While playing in the Illawarra District competition with Helensburg, Kneen was spotted by the Sharks.
on 21 March 1976.
Kneen played in both the drawn grand final in 1978 and the subsequent replay the same year. He was selected on the 1978 tour to Britain with the Australian side and played in six tour matches.
In 1981, Kneen was suspended for fifteen weeks after being found guilty of a head-high tackle on a player and tackling a player not in possession of the ball. Kneen was sent from the field after tackling Western Suburbs
hooker Alan Latham. In 1982, Kneen received a twelve-month suspension and he left Cronulla at the end of the season. The following year he captain-coached Bowral in the Country Rugby League
. In 1984 he accepted a contract with the Illawarra Steelers
but after ten games in reserve grade a bad hamstring injury ended his second professional stint and he retired.
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 who played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
New South Wales Rugby League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
competition. He was also selected on the 1978 tour to Britain with the Australian side but did not play in a Test. He primarily played at second-row forward.
Early career
Kneen started his junior career with Sutherland Loftus UnitedSutherland Loftus United
Sutherland Loftus United Rugby League Football Club is a junior and senior amateur rugby league football club that was formed in 1912 and competes in the Cronulla-Sutherland District Rugby Football League; the junior side of the club was formed in 1963 to coincide with the formation of the CSDJRFL...
in the CSDRFL
Cronulla-Sutherland District Rugby Football League
The Cronulla-Sutherland District Rugby Football League is an amateur competition for rugby league clubs in and around the Sutherland Shire district of New South Wales, Australia.The Cronulla-Sutherland District Rugby Football League was formed in the early 1950s following the formation of several...
before moving south to Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
to work in the mines. While playing in the Illawarra District competition with Helensburg, Kneen was spotted by the Sharks.
Playing career
In 1976 he was signed by the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. He made his first-grade debut against Manly-WarringahManly-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...
on 21 March 1976.
Kneen played in both the drawn grand final in 1978 and the subsequent replay the same year. He was selected on the 1978 tour to Britain with the Australian side and played in six tour matches.
In 1981, Kneen was suspended for fifteen weeks after being found guilty of a head-high tackle on a player and tackling a player not in possession of the ball. Kneen was sent from the field after tackling Western Suburbs
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
hooker Alan Latham. In 1982, Kneen received a twelve-month suspension and he left Cronulla at the end of the season. The following year he captain-coached Bowral in the Country Rugby League
New South Wales Country Rugby League
-2011 Tier 2 Championships:-History:Newcastle was the first city outside Sydney to start a league competition, being involved in the Sydney Premiership in 1908-09 and then starting their own competition in 1910....
. In 1984 he accepted a contract with the Illawarra Steelers
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
but after ten games in reserve grade a bad hamstring injury ended his second professional stint and he retired.