Wade McKinnon (born 12 February 1981) is an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
former professional
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. His position of preference was as a fullback.
Playing career
Early years
Educated at
St Dominic's College, Penrith
, motto_translation = The Lord is my Light
, location = Penrith
, city = Western Sydney
, state = New South Wales
, country = Australia
, coordinates =
, established =
, educational_authority = New South Wales Department of Education
, ...
,
Terra Sancta College and
Westfields Sports High School
, motto_translation = Courage and Valour
, established =
, location = 406A Hamilton Road, Fairfield West, Western Sydney, New South Wales
, country = Australia
, type = Government-funded co-educational comprehensive a ...
McKinnon played rugby league from a young age. A
St Clair Comets junior, McKinnon made his first grade début with the
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...
in 2002 following their re-admittance into the competition.
Parramatta Eels
After two years at South Sydney, McKinnon moved to Parramatta. In 2004, during his first season with the Eels, he won the
Jack Gibson Jack Gibson may refer to:
* Jack Gibson (rugby league) (1929–2008), Australian player and coach
* Jack Stanley Gibson (1909–2005), Irish physician
* Jack Gibson (ice hockey, born 1880) (1880–1955), ice hockey player and executive
* Jack Gibs ...
Award and the
Ron Lynch Media Award in the same season. In 2005, McKinnon was part of the Parramatta side which won the minor premiership but fell short of a grand final appearance losing 29–0 to North Queensland in the preliminary final.
New Zealand Warriors
With the Eels making it clear that they preferred Luke Burt ahead of the off-contract McKinnon, McKinnon often found it tough to make the first-grade team when the Eels were at full-strength. Consequently, he signed a three-year deal with the Warriors in 2007, filling in the void that was to be left by the departing
Brent Webb
Brent Douglas Webb (born 9 November 1979) is a former New Zealand international rugby league footballer who played as a . He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL, before moving the Leeds Rhinos and the Catalans Dragons i ...
. McKinnon cited the Warriors' style of play as being conducive to the game.
Mckinnon became the 132nd first grade player for the
Warriors
A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste.
History
Warriors seem to have be ...
when he made his début against the Eels, his former club, at
Mt Smart Stadium
Mount Smart Stadium (formerly known as Ericsson Stadium) is a multipurpose stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the main home ground of the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League, and occasionally hosts rugby union and internatio ...
in Round 1, 2007. McKinnon scored 9 tries in his first season with the club.
During his time at the Warriors McKinnon was involved in several incidents. In a Round 19 match in 2007, McKinnon was sent off by referee Paul Simpkins in the final minute of play for allegedly kneeing
Taniela Tuiaki.
The replay, however, suggested there was no contact or intent, and consequently he was not cited after the match.
![Wade McKinnon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Wade_McKinnon.jpg)
McKinnon's individual try against the
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...
in Round Fifteen 2007 was voted as the greatest of the year by NRL.com.
McKinnon was ruled out of most of the 2008 NRL Season after an injury in the Warriors first trial game against the
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...
left him requiring a knee reconstruction. However McKinnon recovered relatively quickly and he made his return against the
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...
in Round 22. He celebrated this game by scoring a try in a 16-12 Warriors win.
In Round 25, 2008, McKinnon was suspended for three matches after allegedly spitting at touch-judge Brett Suttor. Suttor said that the spit landed 30 centimetres away from him, but the judiciary said that as McKinnon was at least six metres away from him, it was not possible for his spit to travel that far.
He was selected for City in the
City vs Country
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
match on 8 May 2009.
Wests Tigers
After struggling to break into the Warriors 2010 team as he failed to regain his speed from his knee injury, McKinnon signed for the
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
on 26 May 2010. McKinnon had been contracted to the Warriors until the end of 2011 but was granted an immediate release by the Warriors. McKinnon played his first game for the Tigers in round 15, but was limited to 6 games for the season due to a
hamstring
In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury.
In quadrupeds, ...
injury.
McKinnon began the 2011 season as the starting fullback for the Wests Tigers, but hampered by injuries, lost his position to
Tim Moltzen
Tim Moltzen (born 15 September 1988) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League. He mostly played at and , but could also fill in at .
Wests Tigers, 2008–2011
Mo ...
. He was released from the final year of his contract so he could join
Hull F.C.
Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...
for a three-year deal starting in 2012.
After six months in England he was granted a release for personal reasons.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKinnon, Wade
1981 births
Living people
Australian rugby league players
Auckland rugby league team players
Balmain Ryde-Eastwood Tigers players
Parramatta Eels players
New Zealand Warriors players
Hull F.C. players
New South Wales City Origin rugby league team players
Rugby league fullbacks
Rugby league players from Sydney
South Sydney Rabbitohs players
Wests Tigers players