Russ Kelly

Russell Lindsay Frederick Kelly (25 November 1909 — 25 December 1943) was an Australian rugby union international.

Russell Kelly

Full name	Russell Lindsay Frederick Kelly
Date of birth	(1909-11-25)25 November 1909
Place of birth	Murwillumbah, NSW, Australia
Date of death	25 December 1943(1943-12-25) (aged 34)
Place of death	Concord West, NSW, Australia
Rugby union career
Position(s) Back-row International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1936–38 Australia 7 (2)

Born in Murwillumbah, Kelly was educated at Canterbury Boys' High School, where he learnt his rugby.^[1]

Kelly, a back-row forward, debuted in Sydney first-grade rugby in 1931 with Northern Suburbs, but spent the majority of his career at Drummoyne. Between 1933 and 1939, Kelly was a regular New South Wales representative, with 28 appearances. He was capped seven times for the Wallabies from 1936 to 1938, debuting on a tour of New Zealand.^[2]

Enlisting in 1940, Kelly served in World War II with an anti-tank regiment and attained the rank of sergeant. While trapped with his unit in fighting near Tobruk, he was struck by machine gun fire, which shattered most of his ribs.^[3] He was held by Italian forces as a prisoner of war in Benghazi and was later moved to a Naples hospital. In July, 1943, Kelly was repatriated in a prisoner exchange and died five months later while undergoing an operation for his injuries in Sydney.^[4][5]

See also

• List of Australia national rugby union players