Playing Career
Vital Statistics
- Nickname(s)
- The Mayor
- Born
- Saturday, 27th November, 1937
- Died
- Tuesday, 16th August, 2016 (Aged 78 years and 262 days)
- Place Of Birth
- Waverley, New South Wales, Australia
Honours & Awards
Based only on data available in the RLP database. This information should be used as a guide only.
- The Ashes
- 1963/1964
- Test Series
- Australia vs New Zealand 1963, Australia vs South Africa 1963, France vs Australia 1963/64, Australia vs France 1964
- Interstate Series
- 1963, 1964
- City vs Country Firsts
- 1964
Known Family Links
- Brother
- Dick Thornett
Biography
While Ken 'The Mayor' Thornett had a brief career in international football he had a lasting influence on the P’matta club. With brothers John and Dick Thornett forging careers in international Rugby Ken Thornett changed codes to play for Leeds in England before he had the opportunity to play in a RU Test. He had actually gone to England to be a woolclasser but Leeds beat P’matta and Souths to his signature. Thornett was a dangerous attacking player and safe under pressure (it was said that English bookies gave up framing odds on when he would drop a ball). Joining P’matta in 1962 he became an institution at fullback despite being plagued by knee trouble late in his career. Thornett made his Test debut in the series against NZ in 1963 and scored a decisive try in the 14-0 Third Test win at the SCG that gave Australia the series. He then played in all six Tests on the Ashes-winning Kangaroo tour in 1963-64 – forcing St George fullback Graeme Langlands to play in the centres. A try-scorer in the record-breaking 50-12 win over England in the Second Test Thornett was also the first Australian fullback to score a try in a Test match on a Kangaroo tour. His final Test series was against France in 1964 but he went on to give great service to the Eels (he was captain-coach 1965). Thornett played for Leeds during the 1965-66 off-season but left Sydney at the end of 1968 to become a farmer at Binnaway in northwest NSW. Captain-coach of Coonabarabran he returned to P’matta in 1971 to captain the troubled club and led the team back into the semi-finals. Ken Thornett has since been honoured with the dedication of a grandstand at P’matta Stadium in his name and was named in P’matta’s best ever merit team (1947-2001).
- ALAN WHITICKER
Playing Career Statistics
All statistics shown in this section are based only on data available in the RLP database, and are not necessarily a complete and/or 100% accurate representation of a player's career. This information should be used as a guide only. If you see a question mark (?), it denotes that the figure is not available.
To view a list of corresponding matches, click on the List button.
| Representative Career - International | Comp Wins | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests (Senior International Matches) | - | 12 | 6 | - | - | 18 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 75.00% | List | ||||
| The Ashes | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | List | ||||
| Tour Matches | Australia | - | 22 | 7 | - | - | 21 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 77.27% | List | |||
| Tour Matches | Parramatta Eels | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | |||
| Tour Matches | Sydney Firsts | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | |||
| Tour Matches | New South Wales Firsts | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | List | |||
| Test Series | 5 | 12 | 6 | - | - | 18 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 75.00% | List | ||||
| Representative Career - Australia | Comp Wins | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Interstate Series | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
| City vs Country Firsts | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
| Club Career - Australia | Comp Wins | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) | - | 130 | 17 | - | 7 | 65 | 76 | 50 | 4 | 58.46% | List | ||||
| NSWRFL Finals | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 5 | 0 | 16.67% | List | ||||
| Preseason Cup | - | 22 | - | - | 1 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 45.45% | List | ||||
| Overall | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | |||||
| First Class | 180 | 26 | - | 8 | 94 | 127 | 78 | 5 | 70.56% | List | |||||
Test Matches - By Team | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Australia | 1963-64 | 12 | 6 | - | - | 18 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 75.00% | List | ||||
Australia - By Team | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| NSW City Seconds | 1963, 1965, 1967 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | List | ||||
| NSW Firsts | 1963-64, 1967 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | List | ||||
| Sydney Firsts | 1964 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
| NSW City Firsts | 1964 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
| Overall | 1963-1967 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 6 | 2 | 0 | 75.00% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Year | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Season | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Parramatta | NSWRFL 1962 | 7 | 2 | - | - | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 85.71% | List | ||||
| Parramatta | NSWRFL 1963 | 14 | 4 | - | - | 12 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 71.43% | List | ||||
| Parramatta | NSWRFL 1964 | 19 | 3 | - | - | 9 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 68.42% | List | ||||
| Parramatta | NSWRFL 1965 | 19 | 5 | - | - | 15 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 57.89% | List | ||||
| Parramatta | NSWRFL 1966 | 13 | 2 | - | - | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 53.85% | List | ||||
| Parramatta | NSWRFL 1967 | 19 | - | - | 7 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 36.84% | List | ||||
| Parramatta | NSWRFL 1968 | 18 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 55.56% | List | ||||
| Parramatta | NSWRFL 1971 | 21 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 9 | 0 | 57.14% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Team | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Parramatta | 1962-68, 1971 | 130 | 17 | - | 7 | 65 | 76 | 50 | 4 | 58.46% | List | ||||
Contributions:
Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson, Greg Fiveash, Max Turner, Rugby League Tables, Paul Carter, Alan Katzmann, Tony McCarron, Wests Archives, Michael Borg, AJ Lucantonio, Tim Costello
Your Say
26/01/2012
This year us my 50th year of watching Parramatta and Ken Thornett was the player that brought me to watch Rugby League, i once had a conversation with the great South Sydney Captain
John Sattler his remark on Ken Thornett was when playing Parramatta in the 60's was like playing seven forwards
31/03/2014
The first time (many years ago), I saw Ken Thornett play, he scored a try from fullback. I had never seen such play before - amazing.
25/05/2015
Ken was the best fullback I have seen in my 55 years or so watching Rugby League..HIs efforts in England on the 1963/64 Kangaroo tour were outstanding and was the first Australian Fullback to score a try in England in a Test match...Billy, Wombat, Hayne Plane, The Belch, Les Johns and Changa were great but The Mayor was the greatest of all..I did not see Churchill or Frank Drake play.
Thanks
Terry Ryan
25/10/2015
its now over 50 years since his debut with Parramatta, yet his name is spoken in revered tones to this day. With a stand and an awards night named in his honour, the name Ken Thornett will be spoken of for many more years to come.
29/07/2016
I have followed Parra since the 60s and Ken is still my greatest player of all time.
20/08/2016
Ken Thornett was a better man than he was a footballer.
16/02/2024
I saw Ken Thornett not long after he came back and he tore the Easts (?) backline to shreds. I've never seen a better full-back's game than his that day. Australia has never had a poor full-back, I've seen them all from Churchill on and on their day you couldn't fit a cigarette paper between them.
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