SIX years ago when the Cronulla Sharks SG Ball side was fighting for its survival in the SG Ball, a decision was made to switch Bathurst talent Will Kennedy to fullback.
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Little did he know it would be a move which would shape his career. It led him to the NRL and on Thursday it led him to inking a two-year contract will will see him remain a Cronulla Shark to the end of 2023.
As a junior playing in Bathurst, it was as a five-eighth that Kennedy impressed. It was also a position he played when he made the move to Sydney and linked with Cronulla Caringbah.
He caught the eye of Cronulla scouts and in 2014 they recruited him to the under 17s Sharks Academy squad.
A year later he made his Sharks debut in the SG Ball. At the start he was coming off the bench as hooker but then he was switched to fullback and found himself in the run on side.
He dominated in the number one jumper as he helped the Sharks scrape into the finals series in eighth spot then go on win the competition, beating South Sydney 24-16 in the decider. It was Kennedy who scored the opening try.
He went on to make his NRL debut in round six of the 2019 season and has since cemented his standing as the Sharks' number one.
This year he has scored eight tries in 11 appearances and been one of the standouts for the struggling Sharks. It meant Cronulla officials were keen to have Kennedy, who was on a one-year contract, remain in their ranks.
They offered him a two-year contract extension and he accepted.
"I'm pretty thrilled, it's good to stay at the club, I have been here for so long and yeah, I love the club," Kennedy said.
"It started here at SG Ball, it's been a long time and I'm enjoying the club and I'm enjoying my footy here as well.
"I seen a few of my mates from Bathurst trialling for rugby league clubs here so I made the move down here I played at Cronulla Caringbah and I got scouted from there and played a bit of development from the Sharks and it came from there."
The re-signing was made even more special given it came on the eve of the NRL's Indigenous round
"It's a bonus, it's a special round to me and my family and my culture. It's pretty special to get it done on Indigenous round," he said. "I'm excited to go and ready to rip in."
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