Kyle Turner (20 February 1992 – 18 August 2023) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row, lock and centre for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League (NRL).
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Born | Kyle Turner 20 February 1992 Sydney, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 18 August 2023 Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia | (aged 31)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 103 kg (16 st 3 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Second-row, lock, centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 3 September 2019 |
Turner also played for the Indigenous All Stars and Country NSW, and he played in the Rabbitohs' 2014 NRL Grand Final winning team.
Background
editTurner's hometown was Coonabarabran.[3] He was of Kamilaroi descent and played his junior rugby league for the Coonabarabran Unicorns, before being signed by the South Sydney Rabbitohs. When he was younger, he played for the New South Wales Indigenous Under-16s team.[4]
In 2011 and 2012, Turner played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs' NYC team before moving on to the Rabbitohs' New South Wales Cup team, North Sydney Bears in 2013. On 1 March 2013, Turner re-signed with the Rabbitohs on a two-year contract to the end of the 2015 season.[5]
Playing career
edit2014
editIn round 3 of the 2014 NRL season, Turner made his NRL debut for Souths against the Wests Tigers, playing off the interchange bench in South Sydney's 16–25 loss at ANZ Stadium.[6] In round 6 against the Penrith Panthers, he scored his first NRL career try in South Sydney's 18–2 win at Penrith Stadium.[7] On 5 October, he played off the interchange bench in South Sydney's 2014 NRL Grand Final win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.[8][9] He finished the 2014 season having playing 25 matches and scoring six tries.[10]
2015
editOn 31 January and 1 February, Turner played for Souths in their winning 2015 NRL Auckland Nines campaign.[11] On 13 February, he played for the Indigenous All Stars against the NRL All Stars in the 2015 All Stars match.[12] During the game, he seriously injured his neck after being tackled by Paul Gallen.[13][14]
Turner was sidelined for the first 20 rounds of the 2015 NRL season, before returning in round 21 against the Penrith Panthers, playing off the interchange bench. During the game, he was concussed in a tackle and taken off the field for the remainder of the game in Souths 20–16 win at ANZ Stadium.[15] He finished the 2015 season having played in six matches for Souths.[16] On 8 October, he re-signed with Souths on a 2-year contract.[17][18]
2016
editIn February, Turner played for Souths in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines.[19] He finished the season playing in 23 matches, scoring three tries.[1]
2017
editTurner made 21 appearances for Souths in the 2017 NRL season scoring one try.[20] Turner was selected to play in the last City vs Country match, representing Country NSW.[3]
2018
editTurner only made one appearance for Souths in the 2018 season coming off the bench in their 26–14 victory over arch rivals Eastern Suburbs. Turner spent the remainder of the season playing in reserve grade for the North Sydney Bears.[21][22]
2019
editUnder new coach Wayne Bennett, Turner made a return to the first grade team and made 16 more appearances for Souths as the club finished in third place for the 2019 regular season.[4] On 10 September, it was revealed that Turner was being released by Souths at the end of the season due to salary cap constraints.[23]
2020
editFollowing his rejection of an offer from the Queanbeyan Kangaroos[24] Turner retired from rugby league and returned to his hometown of Coonabarabran.[4]
2021
editIn 2021, he made a surprise comeback with the Coonabarabran Unicorns.[25] He was also a physical education teacher at Coonabarabran High School, the same school he formerly attended.[4][26]
Death
editTurner died in the town of Coonabarabran on 18 August 2023, at the age of 31.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Kyle Turner – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "loverugbyleague". Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ a b c "Souths NRL premiership-winner Kyle Turner dies aged 31". ABC News. 19 August 2023. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Fontaine, Angus (19 August 2023). "Rugby league mourns South Sydney premiership star Kyle Turner after death at 31". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Rabbitohs re-sign Burgess, McQueen and Turner | NRL". Zero Tackle. 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Tigers smash scrappy Rabbitohs". NRL.com. 21 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Rabbitohs Defeat Panthers 18–2". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Rabbitohs Win 2014 NRL Grand Final Defeating Canterbury Bulldogs 30–6". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Rabbitohs Grand Final Player Ratings". NRL.com. 5 October 2014. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Custom Match List". Rugby League Project. 15 February 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ "RABBITOHS UNVEIL 2015 NINES SQUAD". Rugby League Week. 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 26 July 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Final All Stars teams announced". NRL.com. 9 February 2015. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ "Rabbitohs Kyle Turner Out Indefinitely with Spinal Injury". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Rabbitohs Kyle Turner Returns from Serious Neck Injury". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Rabbitohs v Panthers Worst Nightmare for Kyle Turner Realised with Concussion in Injury Return". Foxpsorts.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Custom Match List". Rugby League Project. 7 November 2015. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "Rabbitohs re-sign Kyle Turner | NRL". Zero Tackle. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Extend Contract of Kyle Turner for Seasons 2016 and 2017". Rabbitohs. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Rabbitohs name 2016 Nines squad". Rugby League Week. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Custom Match List – Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Custom Match List – Rugby League Project". Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- ^ "Souths forward considers UK move". Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- ^ "South Sydney Rabbitohs say bye-bye to Kyle Turner as salary cap pressure increases". Fox Sports. 10 September 2019. Archived from the original on 13 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ "Turner calls time after Queanbeyan rejection". The Daily Telegraph. 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Unicorns in training". Coonabarabran Times. 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ "Coonabarabran High School". 18th Man. 30 March 2023. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
External links
edit- South Sydney Rabbitohs profile (archive)