🐇 Ken Shine | Rabbitohs Coach #22

Full Name: Ken Shine
Born: 7/5/1949 at Narrabri, NSW
Club Playing Career: Maitland (NRL) 1967-78 (premiers in 1971 and 1973)
Club Coaching Career: South Newcastle (NRL) 1979-87; South Sydney 1994-97
Awards and Accolades: Maitland (NRL) premiership winner 1971 and 1973

Shine was an electrician by trade and also a handy utility back with sound goal kicking abilities, who joined the Maitland Pumpkin Pickers in 1971 in the Newcastle (NRL) premiership from Narrabri. He was the fullback in Maitland’s 1971 and 1973 premiership winning sides.

One of his team-mates at Maitland was Peter Sharp, who went on to coach Manly, Northern Eagles and Cronulla. Shine started his coaching career with Macquarie United’s second grade side in the Newcastle premiership (NRL), and South Newcastle Lions' first grade side for five years, taking them to grand finals in 1986 and 1987. He then went to coach in France during 1987-88, and when he came back home, Parramatta coach John Monie offered him an assistant coaching role at Parramatta with their third grade side (Presidents Cup Under-21s) in 1988, which he took over as their coach in 1989-90.

He left the Eels to join Alan Jones at Balmain for 1991-93, as their assistant coach. He followed Jones to the Rabbitohs in 1994, also as their assistant coach. He enticed a couple of players that he coached at the Eels to come with him and play for the Rabbitohs, in Jason Bell and David Penna.

The 1994 season started with Bob McCarthy as the Rabbitohs head coach throughout their Tooheys Challenge Cup pre-season campaign, where against all odds they defeated the much fancier Brisbane Broncos outfit 27-26 in the final. By the time the premiership started, Shine joined McCarthy as a dual coach of the first grade side.

They didn’t start off well and lost their opening three premiership games convincingly, and after the Bulldogs defeat McCarthy resigned as coach, citing he needed a hip operation. Shine was left on his own, and they drew 20-all with Illawarra at Wollongong in their next game, and then won eight of their next nine games, losing only to the strong Manly side in round six.

There was great hope of a Rabbitoh revival, but it was short lived because they won only one game from their remaining nine games. The Rabbitohs found it hard to compete financially with other clubs owing to the inflating ARL-Super League war which raged during that time and as a result in the following three seasons they finished near the bottom. Shine was replaced by Steve Martin for the 1998 season.

Ken later became general manager of the Parramatta Two Blues rugby union club.