Meet our leadership team

Dave Kearsey

President
Dave or "D.K" as mostly known has been an integral part of the Australian Deaf Rugby Men's side for over a decade successfully captaining the side on several occasions and a few years ago advanced to the role of Head Coach where he has coaches tours to Argentina and South Africa. He is completely deaf in one ear only and has a Cochlear Implant on his left side. D.K. is a lifetime rugby player who has won multiple senior premierships with both the Inverell Highlanders and the Hastings Valley Vikings. In December 2025 he was unanimously voted in as Australian Deaf Rugby President. D.K. is a passionate advocate for deaf rugby and believes in the value the game can bring to ALL deaf and hard of hearing Australians and their families. "Rugby is a welcoming team sporting option for All deaf and hard of hearing Australians. It is a genuine tool for inclusivity and Australian Deaf Rugby Union provides pathways to potential international level no matter your skill level or experience. Our national Men's and Women's teams are representative of all the Australian Deaf and hard of hearing community and we are very proud of this and hold those core values at the base of everything we do and opportunities we provide".

Wade Atherton

Vice President
Born deaf and fitted with a Cochlear Implant at a young age, Newcastle player Wade first represented the Australian deaf rugby team in 2011.Wade has been a long serving player over a decade through many successful overseas and domestic tournaments. As Australian Deaf Rugby Vice President, Wade carries a passion for making Rugby Union as welcoming and accommodating for all Australian deaf and hard of hearing players.

Jack Cale

Secretary

Adrien Priem

Committee Member
Adrian a well known Auslan interpreter and dedicated Australian Deaf Rugby Committee member. Adrian has deep ties to the Australian Deaf Community and has many years of contribution to Australian Deaf Rugby

Nick Marlor

Committee Member
Nick started playing rugby at the age of 14 in his hometown of Armidale, NSW. He was introduced to Deaf Rugby by his little brother and played for Australian Deaf Rugby from 2004 until his retirement in 2018.
Nick has been a member of the ADR committee since 2014 and also holds the position of Deaf Liaison Officer. He has also held the position of Vice Chairman for World Deaf Rugby 2016-2019.

Mick Conroy

Deaf Liaison Officer
Grew up in Woodstock and Cowra, playing League for local teams and representing Group 10. Moved to Sydney in 1982, where he played for various clubs, including St Christopher’s Saints and Engadine Dragons. He also played Rugby for multiple teams and represented NSW Deaf RL 13 times, Qld Deaf RL 2 times, and served as Australian Deaf Rugby League Captain 4 times. He played 8 tests for Australian Deaf Rugby and participated in 13 tours/series. He was the past president of Australia Deaf Rugby from 2009 to 2019 and has been a Foundation Committee/Board member since 2001.