Blame creaky knees, bad backs and shot shoulders.

But there’s an exception to every rule.

And, in Country Rugby League circles, William “Bubba” Kennedy seems to be the one Father Time forgot to tap on the shoulder or, at the very least, kick in the shins.

A Western Division champion, Group 10 premiership winner and life member, Kennedy is now in the midst of his 17th season of premier league rugby league in Western Division, having played for Blayney, Bathurst Panthers, Lithgow Workies, Mudgee Dragons, Orange Hawks and Cabonne United in Group 11.

When some players are pulling up stumps in their late 20s because, let’s face it, sipping on ginger wine and playing in an old boys’ game does seem like a lot more fun than tackling Jack Afamasaga every other week, Kennedy is bucking the trend and at 46 years of age, there’s no slowing him down.

Not yet anyway.

“I’m hanging in there,” Kennedy laughed.

“[The body’s] not too bad. It’s definitely a bit harder now [backing up] ... I’m 46, but it’s OK. I’m hanging in there.

“I’m back playing with [brother-in-law] “Boofy" [Steve Lane] this year. We haven’t played together for a couple of years, so we’re enjoying it.”

Group 10 president Linore Zamparini believes Kennedy is a one in a million.

“Did you say he was 46 or born in 1946? He’s been around 100 years,” Zamparini joked.

“His athleticism is great, and I think he’s been able to stay injury free and enjoy his footy, that’s a big thing. 

“He’s just one of those players. Cliffy Lyons [played into his 40s with Hornsby and Narraweena], he’d be another one, but certainly no one else around there has played at that level at that age. He’s a special player.”

And he’s now Blayney’s special player.

Kennedy and Lane have helped lift the Bears from back-to-back Group 10 wooden spoons to genuine finals contenders, at the very least, in 2015.

Not since the turn of the millennium have we seen a Bears team grizzle this good.

And Kennedy was part of that team too.

“We had a good team then,” the not-overly nostalgic Kennedy remembers of 1999, his first season in Group 10, and a year Blayney was beaten by Orange Hawks in a cracking grand final at King George Oval.

“We had Paul Sironen and those guys. I don’t remember much about those days though,”  he said.

Who could blame him.

Kennedy was born in January 1969 before man first landed on the moon.

But only now the veteran centre, who had three years playing in the then ARL with the Balmain Tigers from 1996 to 1998, may finally be ready to hang up his boots.

Re-signing with Bathurst Panthers - a club he won a premiership with twice in 2006 and 2007 - for the 2013 season, Kennedy was holding on to the dream of playing with his son, William junior.

Just one game, that’s all he wanted.

But since then the prodigiously talented younger of the Kennedy boys has kicked on big time, and recently helped Cronulla to the SG Ball premiership in Sydney with a 24-16 victory over Souths.

Kennedy senior admits that dream may be over.

And as a result, so too may be the career of a player almost certainly carrying the tag of Country Rugby League’s oldest first grader. 

“I think this year will be my last,” Kennedy said.

“It’d be good to go out with a win.”