Hetherington played club football for the Gold Coast Seagulls and Canterbury-Bankstown in Australia and for the London Broncos in the Super League.
Hetherington made his first grade debut for the Gold Coast in round 1 1993 against the Western Suburbs at Campbelltown Stadium.
Hetherington made 15 appearances in his debut season as the Gold Coast finished last on the table and claimed the wooden spoon.
The following year, Hetherington was part of the Canterbury side which won the 1995 premiership defeating Manly-Warringah in the grand final.
[5] He also played representative football for Queensland, including one Man of the Match performance in the opening game of the 1999 series.