Robbie Kearns will go down as one of the finest front rowers of his era.

Kearns began his career with his local club Cronulla in 1992, spending four seasons on The Shire before heading west to become an inaugural member of the Western Reds.

In 1998 when the Reds folded, he joined Melbourne in its inaugural season. It proved a marriage made in heaven.

Kearns quickly established himself as a Test-class forward. In 1998, he played the first of his eight games for NSW and made his Test debut.

In 1999, he missed the Storm’s grand final win over St George Illawarra through injury but bounced back in 2000 to once again play for NSW and Australia, featuring in the Kangaroos’ World Cup win.

He followed up with Kangaroo tours in 2001 and 2003 before announcing his retirement from representative rugby league.
In 2004 Kearns inked a new deal with the Storm before retiring at the end of 2005 to take up a coaching position with the club.

As one of the faces of the game in the southern state, Kearns will also use his profile to act as a roving ambassador for the game as it looks to win the hearts and minds of the people of Victoria.