NRL star Michael Jennings living on $800 a week after losing court case to ex Kirra Wilden

He earned a fortune as a top NRL player, but Michael Jennings has been reduced to surviving on $809 a week.

Former NRL star Mic­hael Jennings has been ­reduced to living off $809 a week.

It is a world away from the estimated $650,000 a year the premiership winning centre commanded when he was at the peak of his powers as a State of Origin star who went on to win a premiership in 2013 and spent 13 years in the NRL.

Jennings’ financial situation is the result of him losing a court case last year against his ex-ife Kirra Wilden.
Ms Wilden sued Jennings in a civil case in the Sydney District Court where she gave evidence that he raped her several times during their brief marriage.

Michael Jennings with his former partner Kirra Wilden at the Dally M Awards. Picture Gregg Porteous

She won the case and Judge David Wilson SC ordered Jennings, who denied the claims and is appealing, to pay Ms Wilden almost $500,000 in damages plus the six figure bill for her lawyers.

This week the court heard that Jennings is yet to pay the money to Ms Wilden. Until he does, the court has frozen his assets and is only granting him an allowance of $3236 per month.

The freezing order came into effect in December.

On Thursday, the District Court was told one of the reasons Jennings has not paid the money is because he is speaking to a senior counsel about his appeal.

Michael Jennings played for Parramatta, Penrith and the Roosters during his 298-game career. Picture: AAP Image/Brendon Thorne

Jennings lodged a notice of intention to appeal the decision to the NSW Supreme Court’s Court of Appeal on January 17 and has until March 21 to lodge his appeal grounds.

It’s the latest chapter in the short but acrimonious marriage of Jennings and Ms Wilden. They were married in 2015 in an extravagant ceremony with the then rugby league international booking St Mary’s Cathedral for the ceremony followed by a harbourside reception.

In court on Thursday, Judge Wilson continued the freezing order and allowed an application by Ms Wilden’s lawyers to place caveats on two properties Jennings owns in Quakers Hill and Minchinbury.

Michael Jennings also earned seven Kangaroos jerseys. Picture: Mark Evans

The judge said Jennings had defied court orders by shifting ownership of his assets while the decision was still pending in the civil trial. “Tell me why I shouldn’t order charges over the property in favour of the plaintiff,” Judge Wilson told the court. “Because he … was plainly dissipating assets when judgment in this court had been reserved.”

Property records show Jennings transferred part of the mortgage of his Quakers Hill property into the name of his current partner Kristin Harris on August 18. The couple have two children. The records said this was to repay Ms Harris after she paid $300,000 for Jennings’ legal fees.

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