Kobe Hetherington
Australian rugby league footballer
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Kobe Hetherington (born 11 March 1999) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock forward for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League.
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 11 March 1999 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 184 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 102 kg (16 st 1 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Lock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 15 March 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Jason Hetherington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos with whom he won the 2025 NRL Grand Final.
Background
Hetherington was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and was raised in Rockhampton, Queensland. His father Jason is a former Australian international and Queensland representative.[2]
He played his junior rugby league for the Rockhampton Brothers, Calliope Roosters and Gladstone Brothers.[3]
Hetherington attended The Cathedral College before being signed by the Brisbane Broncos.[4]
Playing career
Early career
In 2015, Hetherington played for the Central Queensland Capras in the Cyril Connell Cup before moving up to their Mal Meninga Cup side in 2016.[5][6] In 2017, he moved to Brisbane, playing for the Norths Devils in the Mal Meninga Cup and the Broncos in the NRL Under-20s competition.[7]
In 2018 and 2019, he played for the Devils' Hastings Deering Colts side, captaining them in their 2018 Grand Final win over the Townsville Blackhawks.[8] On 10 July 2019, he represented the Queensland under-20 team.[9]
In 2020, Hetherington joined the Broncos' NRL squad on a development contract.[10]
2021
Hetherington began the 2021 season playing for the Souths Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup.[11] In Round 11 of the 2021 NRL season, Hetherington made his first grade debut for Brisbane against the Sydney Roosters in a 34-16 win. With only two first grade games, Hetherington scored his first try in the NRL against Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium.[12] In round 14, Hetherington was controversially sent off in Brisbane's 38-16 loss against the Canberra Raiders, Hetherington was later cleared and wasn't suspended from the incident.[13] In Round 16, Hetherington started his first NRL game at lock against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in a 26-18 win. On the 7 July, Hetherington re-signed for two years remaining at the Brisbane Broncos till the end of 2023. Hetherington was awarded Rookie of the Year for the 2021 season at the Brisbane end of season awards.
2022
Hetherington made a total of 22 appearances for Brisbane in the 2022 NRL season as the club finished 9th on the table and missed the finals. Only missed two games due to testing positive for Covid in Round 1, and failing HIA protocols missing Round 25.[14]
2023
Hetherington played 19 games for Brisbane in the 2023 NRL season. Hetherington played in Brisbane's 26-24 loss against Penrith in the 2023 NRL Grand Final.[15]
2024
Hetherington played 23 matches for Brisbane in the 2024 NRL season which saw the club miss the finals finishing 12th on the table.[16]
2025
On 23 July, the Brisbane outfit announced that Hetherington signed a one year extension.[17] On 8 September 2025, it was reported that Hetherington had signed a four year deal with Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.[18] Hours later Hetherington's manager confirmed the deal, as Hetherington's partner had secured a job in Sydney and Manly offered him a deal which he accepted.[19] On 5 October, Hetherington won the 2025 NRL grand final with the Brisbane club in a 26-22 win over the Melbourne Storm which turned out to be his final game for the team.[20] On 21 October, Manly officially announced the signing of Hetherington.[21]
Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 |  Brisbane Broncos |
14 | 3 | 12 |
| 2022 | 22 | |||
| 2023 | 19 | |||
| 2024 | 23 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2025 | 27 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2026 |  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
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| Totals | 105 | 6 | 24 |
Honours
Club
- NRL Grand Finalist: 2023, 2025
- NRL Pre-Season Challenge Winner: 2024, 2025
- NRL Premiership: 2025
Representative
- PM's XIII Test Champion: 2024