The South Sydney Rabbitohs are mourning the passing of former first grade front-rower, Richard McKell, who passed away unexpectedly on Friday morning at the age of 53.
Richard John McKell was born in 1970 at Waratah Hospital in Newcastle and played his junior footy with Raymond Terrace Roosters, (up to under-17s), Raymond Terrace Magpies and Marist Brothers Maitland. He began his senior career in the local Newcastle competition in 1990, and his club, Waratah-Mayfield, defeated the heavily fancied Lakes United side in the grand final of that year. The following season he was all set to go and play for St. George in Sydney, but in the newly formed draft system, Cronulla-Sutherland snapped him up instead. He played two seasons with the Sharks in their lower grades.
In 1993, he played for North Nelson Bay, and then Ron Massey got him a contract with Parramatta in 1994.
He came to the Rabbitohs for the 1995 and 1996 seasons, where he played in 40 grade games, scoring two tries, with 18 of those games being in first grade, scoring one try. He made his first grade debut in round six of 1995 against our arch-rivals, the Sydney Roosters, at the Sydney Football Stadium, to become player number 876 on our men’s player register.
‘Big Richie’ was a giant front-rower who stood at 192cm tall, weighed a solid 116 kg with huge imposing shoulders during his playing career. He established himself in the Rabbitohs top grade by hitting the line hard and being capable of off-loading the ball to his support runners.
He wasn’t impressed with the state of the game and where it was going here in Australia during the ARL-Super League war, so after his two-year contract ended at the Rabbitohs he moved to the UK Super League where he played another four games for Wakefield Trinity in 1997, and 35 games for Castleford Tigers in 1997 and 1998, scoring two tries.
Mr McKell came back to live in Australia with his partner Jodie, playing one season with Wests Wollongong in 1999. He played alongside brothers, Glenn and Brett Stewart, at Wests Wollongong and eventually said to Manly-Warringah CEO Ian Thomson to go after them, which they did. Glenn also played one season with the Rabbitohs in 2015.
‘Big Richie’ finished his playing career with Waratah-Mayfield in the Newcastle premiership, and then moved to live in Cronulla, where his wife Jodie came from. He got a job at Port Botany where he was employed for more than 20 years, working on the wharves with many former Souths players including Darren Brown, who said he was a devoted family man.
His younger brother Brendan McKell played lower grades for Newcastle, and after trialling with Souths in early 1996 he was approached to come and play for the club. However, he had just started his apprenticeship and decided to stay where he was until he finished the apprenticeship. Their uncle, John Wolfe, was captain and half-back of Souths’ 1958 Presidents Cup under-21s side.
Richard leaves behind his wife Jodie and their three children, Rory McKell aged 20, who represented Australia in under-18s and under-20s water polo, Caleb aged 15, and Blair aged 14.
On behalf of everyone connected with the Rabbitohs, we offer our deepest and most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Richard McKell.
