The Highlanders halfback was "pugnacious", "combative", "energetic" — and, after he had used the phrase once, he was forever considered someone with a hyperactive nature.
"You could say I’m like a coke can that’s been dropped several times and then been opened. Plenty of fizz."
Kelleher was an all-action No 9 in a great era for the Highlanders club.
He had a pass like a bullet, a decent boot and a willingness to try different things from the base of the scrum.
While he was not huge, he packed plenty of power into his frame and was never afraid to go for a run.
At his peak, when he was a crucial part of a Highlanders team that hosted the 1999 final — on the back of Otago’s stunning success in the 1998 NPC — Kelleher was a star of Super Rugby, and an unchallenged selection.
He battled some injuries — perhaps an unfortunate result of his style of play — and regularly had to adjust to playing after time on the sidelines, although he had a very high level of self-confidence.
"If you tackle well and your defence is organised, the rest of your game tends to go smoothly."
Kelleher was a true local Lander.
He went to Tahuna Intermediate — where his principal was his future Highlanders coach, Tony Gilbert — and he captained the Otago Boys’ High School First XV and won the club banner with Kaikorai.
His unusual nickname was "Wazza", which came about when team-mate Josh Kronfeld had the initial impression the cocksure young halfback was called Warren, not Byron, but later he was labelled "le Bison" when he had a long stint with French club Toulouse.
Kelleher, who had four seasons with the Chiefs after leaving the Highlanders, played 57 tests for the All Blacks, and while he was generally regarded as a back-up for the great Justin Marshall, he had plenty of good moments at international level and went to three World Cups.
Headlines in later life were not so positive.
Kelleher was found guilty of domestic violence charges in a French court in 2017 and 2024, and in 2009 he received a fine and a two-month suspended sentence following a brawl after he collided with another vehicle while driving drunk.
He also appeared in the Auckland District Court on charges of assault and wilful damage, after which he completed diversion and in March 2020 was discharged without conviction.
