Ken McGuinness

{{Short description|Australian rugby league footballer}} {{for|the Ulster Unionist politician|Ken Maginnis}} {{Use Australian English|date=July 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} {{Infobox rugby league biography |name = Ken McGuinness |fullname = Ken McGuinness |image = |caption = |country = |position = {{rlp|CE|WG|FE}} |currentclub = |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|9|14|df=yes}} |height = {{convert|191|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} |weight = {{convert|96|kg|stlb|abbr=on}} |retired = yes |club1 = Western Suburbs |year1start = 1994 |year1end = 99 |appearances1 = 107 |tries1 = 35 |goals1 = 1 |fieldgoals1 = 0 |points1 = 142 |club2 = Wests Tigers |year2start = 2000 |year2end = |appearances2 = 6 |tries2 = 0 |goals2 = 0 |fieldgoals2 = 0 |points2 = 0 |club3 = North Qld Cowboys |year3start = 2002 |year3end = |appearances3 = 9 |tries3 = 1 |goals3 = 0 |fieldgoals3 = 0 |points3 = 4 |teamA = New South Wales |yearAstart = 1997 |yearAend = 98 |appearancesA = 5 |triesA = 2 |goalsA = 0 |fieldgoalsA = 0 |pointsA = 8 |teamB = NSW City |yearBstart = 1995 |yearBend = |appearancesB = 1 |triesB = 0 |goalsB = 0 |fieldgoalsB = 0 |pointsB = 0 |source = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/ken-mcguinness/summary.html|title=Ken McGuinness – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project|website=www.rugbyleagueproject.org|accessdate=25 February 2019}}</ref> |updated = 16 October 2019 | module = {{infobox person | embed = yes | father = | mother = | spouse = | education = | alma_mater = | relatives = Kevin McGuinness (brother) }} }}

'''Ken McGuinness''' (born 14 September 1975) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played club football for the Western Suburbs Magpies, Wests Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys. His position of choice was at centre and he represented for New South Wales on five occasions.

==Biography== McGuinness was one of nine Wests players to cross-over to the merged Magpies-Tigers club at the end of the 1999 season but he was unable to secure a regular first grade position at Wests Tigers in their inaugural year. In August 2000, McGuinness played for the excluded South Sydney Rabbitohs in two of their matches against Lebanon and the Tomahawks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westsmagpies.com.au/the-archives/first-grade-players/|title=Western Suburbs Magpies First Grade Players|website=Wests Magpies|access-date=16 October 2019|archive-date=27 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090901/http://www.westsmagpies.com.au/the-archives/first-grade-players/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

McGuinness spent 2001 in the Queensland Cup competition and played for the Toowoomba Clydesdales in the grand final that year. After nine games with the North Queensland Cowboys in 2002, McGuinness announced his retirement from first grade at the age of 26, saying he had lost his passion for the game.<ref>{{cite news| format=Fee required| title=Ken McGuinness announces retirement| url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-54805884.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516192008/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-54805884.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=2011-05-16| accessdate=2007-08-31| date=2002-07-31| publisher=AAP Sports News (Australia) }}</ref>

During his time with the Western Suburbs, McGuinness was selected for NSW Origin on five occasions in the 1997 and 1998 series, scoring one try.<ref>{{cite web|title=State of Origin stats |url=http://stats.rleague.com/rl/soo/soo_idx.html |accessdate=2007-08-31 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828083102/http://stats.rleague.com/rl/soo/soo_idx.html |archivedate=28 August 2007 }}</ref>

In February 2019, McGuinness was arrested and charged with the assault of a woman.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/former-state-of-origin-player-charged-with-assaulting-woman-20190224-p50zyb.html|title=Former State of Origin player Ken McGuinness charged with assaulting woman|date=24 February 2019|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=25 February 2019}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGuinness, Ken}} Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Australian rugby league players Category:Indigenous Australian rugby league players Category:New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players Category:New South Wales City Origin rugby league team players Category:North Queensland Cowboys players Category:Rugby league five-eighths Category:Rugby league centres Category:Rugby league wingers Category:Toowoomba Clydesdales players Category:Wests Tigers players Category:Western Suburbs Magpies players Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen Category:Place of birth missing (living people)