Melbourne Storm New Zealand national rugby league team
Stephen Kearney played for which team from 1999 to 2004?
Stephen Kearney Stephen Peter Kearney ( born 11 June 1972 ) is a New Zealand professional rugby league football coach who until recently was the head coach of the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL and a former player . A New Zealand national captain and second-row forward , Kearneys club football career , which spanned from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s , was played for the Randwick Kingfishers , Western Suburbs Magpies , Auckland Warriors , Melbourne Storm ( with whom he won the 1999 NRL Premiership ) , and Hull F.C . ( with whom he won the 2005 Challenge Cup ) . Kearney was previously the head coach of the New Zealand national team , with whom he won the 2008 World Cup and 2011 Four Nations tournaments . He also previously coached the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League . Background . Kearney was born in Paraparaumu , New Zealand . Playing career . A Kapiti Bears junior , Kearney played for the Junior Kiwis between 1989 and 1991 , becoming the sides captain for the 1991 series against Great Britain . He made his senior début in 1991 for the Randwick Kingfishers and also played for Wellington that year . Randwick lost the Wellington Rugby League Grand Final 6–14 to the Wainuiomata Lions . Turning professional he moved to Australia to play for the Western Suburbs Magpies in 1992 in what is now the NSWRL Premiership . In 1993 he became the New Zealand national rugby league team youngest test captain , aged 21 . He left the Magpies at the end of 1994 , returning home to play for the Auckland Warriors in their inaugural season . At the end of that season he traveled to England to represent New Zealand in the 1995 World Cup . He missed the first test match against a re-unified Australian team in 1998 due to suspension . Kearney remained a Warrior until 1998 , when he moved to Australia to join the Melbourne Storm . In the Melbourne clubs second ever season Kearney played at second-row forward in their victory in the 1999 NRL Grand Final . Kearney was selected for the New Zealand team to compete in the end of season 1999 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament . In the final against Australia he played at second-row forward in the Kiwis 22–20 loss . Having won the 1999 Premiership , the Melbourne Storm traveled to England to contest the 2000 World Club Challenge against Super League Champions St Helens R.F.C. , with Kearney playing at second-row forward in the victory . In 2002 Kearney missed the series-deciding match against Great Britain as he had to rush back home to Melbourne to be with his sick five-year-old daughter , who needed emergency surgery . While captaining the Storm in 2004 , Kearney became the first New Zealand footballer to play 250 Australian first-grade matches . He also played his last test match for the Kiwis in 2004 , in a game that marked the début of Sonny Bill Williams . Kearney finished his playing career with English club Hull F.C . in the Super League competition , playing in their 2005 Challenge Cup-winning side . Coaching career . In 2006 Kearney retired from playing and returned to Australia to take up a role as assistant coach at his old club , the Melbourne Storm , under Craig Bellamy . In 2008 Kearney was appointed as the New Zealand national rugby league team head coach on a two-year contract . Kearney ( with assistant Wayne Bennett ) coached the Kiwis to their first World Cup win . On 22 November 2008 , they defeated Australia 34–20 in the final , at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane . Following this achievement , he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit , for services to rugby league , in the 2009 Queens Birthday Honours . For the 2010 Anzac Test , Kearney coached New Zealand in their loss against Australia . In the 2010 post-season Kearney was announced as Daniel Andersons replacement as head coach of the Parramatta Eels for three years beginning in 2011 . Shortly after that , he took the Kiwis to victory in the 2010 Four Nations Final against Australia . In 2011 he failed to coach the Parramatta NRL team to any success , with the Eels achieving just 6 wins and 1 draw in 24 matches , and only just missing out on the wooden spoon when they beat the Gold Coast Titans in the last game of the regular season . Things didnt get any better for Kearney in the 2012 NRL season . With the Eels struggling in last place on the NRL ladder after 16 rounds , Melbourne Storms inaugural coach , and two time premiership winning coach Chris Anderson was appointed as a mentor to Stephen Kearney to help him turn the clubs fortunes around . However this did not eventuate and Kearney was forced to resign only three rounds later on 20 July , after achieving only 3 wins from 19 matches in the season . He left the Eels with just 10 wins from 42 matches , a very poor winning percentage of 24 percent . In October 2012 Kearney signed a 2-year contract as Brisbane Broncos assistant coach from 2013 . Kearney coached the holders , New Zealand in the 2013 World Cup where they were beaten in the final by Australia . In November 2014 , Kearney guided New Zealand to their second Four Nations championship , defeating Australia 22–18 in the final . In March 2015 , Kearney signed a new deal to remain as coach of the Kiwis until the conclusion of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup . At the end of 2015 , his 23 test wins as coach and five wins over Australia is the most out of any that has coached New Zealand in the past , in stark contrast to his record as an NRL head coach . On 12 September 2016 , Kearney stepped down from his role as coach of New Zealand after accepting a return to head coaching in the NRL as coach of the New Zealand Warriors on a three-year deal . He replaced Andrew McFadden who remained at the Warriors as his assistant . In his first season coaching the Warriors , 2017 , the team finished 13th on the table , after managing only 7 wins from their 24 games , a win percentage of 29% . In 2018 , however , Kearneys season started brightly , with the club winning their first 5 matches of the season , for the first time in the clubs history . Slipping slowly down the ladder through the season , from starting right at the top , they finally secured eighth spot , with 15 wins out of 24 , a 62% win percentage . They then crashed out of their first finals match since 2011 with a 27–12 loss to the Penrith Panthers at ANZ Stadium in Sydney . At the halfway point of the 2019 season , Kearneys Warriors had 4 wins from 12 starts , a 33% win percentage . Kearney signed a contract to extend his time as head coach of the Warriors until 2022 at the end of February 2019 . On 20 June 2020 , Kearney was sacked by the New Zealand Warriors , due to poor results , and was replaced by his assistant coach Todd Payten . Kearney returned to the Melbourne Storm for the 2021 NRL season , signing a one year deal as an assistant coach . Legacy . In 2007 Kearney was named in the Melbourne Storm team of the decade . In 2012 Kearney was named as one of the New Zealand Rugby Leagues Legends of League . Born in Wellington , he was also named in the Wellington Rugby Leagues Team of the Century . As part of their 20-year celebrations in 2018 , Melbourne Storm named Kearney part of their team of the Melbourne Storm Team for the first 20 years . External links . - New Zealand Warriors profile - Kiwi Player Profiles : Stephen Kearney - Stephen Kearney Player Profile at Hull - Article on Kapiti Bears website : Stephen Kearney - a role model for young Rugby League players .