on his first Kangaroo Tour, but pre-existing injuries to his knees hampered his performances on the tour and he played in only 14 of a possible 37 games, allowing St George player Ian Walsh to cement the spot as starting hooker. 1960–1965 Short of money, Kelly signed an £800 contract to captain-coach with Ayr for the 1960 season. Upon his arrival, he discovered the five local clubs had pooled their resources to afford the signing, and he was expected to rotate through all five clubs. He would captain-coach a club for a week, and then move on to the next. Chosen for the 1960 World Cup, Kelly scored his first international try in Australia's opening game against France. Playing at hooker, it was said that he, "was bruised and scratched from his ankles to his hips from kicks which everyone besides the referee could see going in." Kelly had established himself as a Kangaroo representative before he moved to Sydney in 1961. Initially linked to Souths, he eventually chose Western Suburbs because they offered better accommodation, and, "two big prop forwards", which he insisted was "something I must have". The club initially delayed paying the transfer fee to North Queensland side, Ayr, while Kelly spent eight weeks recovering from a cartilage operation. With Ian Walsh the chosen test hooker, Kelly played in no internationals in 1961 or 1962. Before the start of the 1963 season, he asked the Magpies for a trial at prop, as it was thought he, "wrecked his chances in representative sides with the large number of penalties he incurred as hooker". In June, he returned to the Australian team, taking the place of captain Billy Wilson, who had been dropped for the third match of the series against New Zealand. Making his international debut at prop, he scored a try. He played prop in the first game of the two match series against South Africa, but returned to hooker in the second, replacing Walsh who was sidelined with a broken nose. Kelly was a stalwart of the Magpies sides of the 1960s and played in all of the club's consecutive Grand Final losses to St. George in 1961, 1962 and 1963. Kelly has said that he believes referee Darcy Lawler had accepted money to help St George win the 1963 Grand Final. Not a large player by the standards of the time, Kelly had the reputation