Shaun Kenny-Dowall (born 23 January 1988) is a New Zealand international former rugby league footballer who last played as a and er for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League. He was also the club captain.
He previously played for the Sydney Roosters, winning the 2013 NRL Grand Final with them and the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. He has played for the New Zealand Māori and NRL All Stars, and played in New Zealand's 2010 Four Nations-winning side as well as the 2014 Four Nations-winning side.
Early years
Kenny-Dowall was born in Woodridge, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He is of English& Māori descent specifically the Ngāti Ākarana Iwi (tribe).
He moved to Auckland as a three-year-old and began his rugby league career playing for the East Coast Bays Barracudas on Auckland's North Shore. Kenny-Dowall later resided in Ngāruawāhia, where he attended Ngaruawahia High School and played for Turangawaewae and the Ngaruawahia Panthers. Kenny-Dowall was a New Zealand Warriors junior but was unwanted by the club before moving to Sydney in 2004. Kenny-Dowall was selected for the Junior Kiwis in 2006.
His father, John Dowall, won a gold medal in javelin and a silver medal in shot put at the 2000 Paralympic Games.
Playing career
2006
Kenny-Dowall played in the 2006 NSW Cup grand final for Newtown who were the Sydney Roosters feeder club at the time against Parramatta. Newtown would lose the grand final 20-19 at Stadium Australia.
2007
Kenny-Dowall joined the Sydney Roosters and made his National Rugby League debut in round 1 the 2007 NRL season against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, playing on the wing in the Roosters' 6–18 loss. In round 4, against the Brisbane Broncos, Kenny-Dowall scored his first NRL try in the Roosters 10–32 loss at the SFS. In round 13, Kenny-Dowall scored a hat-trick in the Roosters 64–30 victory over the North Queensland Cowboys at the SFS. Kenny-Dowall finished his debut year in the NRL with playing in 14 matches and scored 8 tries in the 2007 NRL season. At the end of the season he was selected for the New Zealand All Golds to play against the Northern Union in October as part of the 2007 All Golds Tour. He missed out on selection for the New Zealand national rugby league team for the 2007 Baskerville Shield test series against the Great Britain Lions but was selected for the test against France due to the injury of Taniela Tuiaki, scoring a try on test debut in the 22–14 win.
2008
Kenny-Dowall played 19 matches and scored 15 tries for the Roosters in the 2008 NRL season. Kenny-Dowall was named in the New Zealand training squad for the 2008 World Cup but was not selected. Instead, Kenny-Dowall played for the New Zealand Māori which met the Indigenous Dreamtime team in a curtain-raiser to the World Cup, scoring a try in the 34–26 loss.
2009
Kenny-Dowall played in all 24 matches and scored 14 tries and kicked three goals in the Roosters' Wooden Spoon 2009 NRL season.
2010
In round 20, against the Brisbane Broncos, Kenny-Dowall scored 4 tries in the 34–30 win at Suncorp Stadium, becoming the first Rooster in 35 years to score 4 tries in a single match. In the Roosters qualifying final match, against the Wests Tigers at the SFS, Kenny-Dowall scored the winning try in golden point extra time by intercepting the ball and running 70 metres downfield to win the match for the Roosters 19–15. Kenny-Dowall played at centre in the Roosters 2010 NRL Grand Final 32–8 loss to the St George Illawarra Dragons. Kenny-Dowall played in all the Roosters 28 matches and scored 21 tries being the 2010 NRL season's highest tryscorer along with Newcastle's Akuila Uate. Kenny-Dowall cemented his position in the centres for the Kiwis in the 2010 Four Nations series, scoring three tries including one in the final. Kenny-Dowall combined with Benji Marshall, Jason Nightingale and Nathan Fien to set up the series winning 79th minute try. Kenny-Dowall's form throughout 2010 saw him runner up to Marshall in the Rugby League World Golden Boot Award, where he made centre in the team of the year.