For someone who grew up playing Australian rules, John Kelly certainly made a lifetime out of rugby league.
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National service training led Kelly to Temora in 1955 and from there he went to play with and against some legends of the game before turning his hand to selecting them for the highest honours.
As part of Group Nine's centenary celebrations The Daily Advertiser is profiling prominent people in the competition throughout the decades.
We kick things off with Kelly who played for both Queensland and NSW before becoming an Australian selector.
Rugby league was never on the agenda for the Ungarie product, in fact his mother tried to dissuade him, but despite his diminutive frame Kelly knew his way to the try line.
In fact he scored 53 tries for Temora across their successful Maher Cup run and the Group Nine season in 1958.
"When I was in national service we had a couple of games of rugby league and I must have shown some sort of ability and Temora made me an offer - 100 pounds for the season and free accommodation - and to be honest I'd rather of played Australian rules than rugby league as I was only a small fellow," Kelly said.
"My mother never wanted me to play rugby league as being small she thought I'd get bashed around but as it turned out I'm very pleased with what happened."
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Kelly only spent one season in Temora before joining teammate Kevin Hawkins at Lakes United in Newcastle.
He was back in Temora for their 1958 premiership before making the move to Townsville.
It was from there he was selected to play for Queensland.
He was part of four games for Queensland, including one against New Zealand, and while he went on to play for NSW later in his career, it remains one of his career highlights.
"I'm pretty proud I did play for both states," Kelly said.
"The chaps I was playing with for Queensland were more friendly than when I played for NSW as even though I'd come from the country in Townsville I was more accepted than what I was when I played for NSW.
"Country people just weren't accepted like they were in Queensland but I played with some wonderful footballers, Johnny Raper, Reg Gasnier, Eddie Lumsden and all those fellas, so I was pretty proud of that."
After returning to Temora in 1960, this time as the coach, Kelly spent his last three seasons with Group 20 club Griffith Black and Whites.
He guided them to the premiership in 1961 but fell to Kangaroos in the 1963 grand final, his game in the sport.
However Kelly was far from lost to rugby league after coming onboard as a Group Nine selector the following season.
From there he was a Country selector for 17 years, a NSW selector for 14 years and even chairman of the Australian selectors.
"For a bloke from Ungarie I didn't do too bad," Kelly said.
Kelly's name is still part of the modern Group Nine pre-season with Temora and West Wyalong playing annually for the Kelly Cup.
It's something he's proud to be associated with.
"I went down to Temora this year and I haven't missed one of them," Kelly said.
"It's one of my proudest moments that after playing for Temora and I put a fair bit of work into rugby league in West Wyalong that they came and asked me would I accept that fact they would play for the Kelly Cup."
However Kelly, who is a life member of both Country Rugby League and NSW Rugby League, is far from impressed with the state of the modern game.
"When I started playing Group Nine would have been classed as one of the strongest in Country Rugby League," he said.
"When I got an offer to go to Temora in 1955 nearly every team had an international or state player playing for them but it has all changed now.
"Country rugby league as far as I'm concerned has been left out of the lurch, it's not even thought of."
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