John O'Neill
Prop
Player Bio
- Inducted:
- 2008
- Date of Birth:
- 09 May 1943
- Birthplace:
- Griffith, NSW
- Nickname:
- Lurch
- Debut Team:
- Country Seconds
- Date:
- -
- Opposition:
- City Seconds
- Venue:
- Sydney Cricket Ground, NSW
- Representative:
- Country, City, New South Wales, Australia
- Clubs:
- South Sydney Rabbitohs, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Career
Milestones
- Premierships: 1967-68, 1970-73)
- Kangaroo Tour: 1973
- Rated No. 77 in Rugby League Week’s Top 100 players: 1992
- Named in NRL Team of the 1970s: 2005
Playing
- First Class Games
- 272
- Points
- 69
- Tries
- 23
Biography
John O'Neill played in nine grand finals, winning premierships with Souths before transforming Manly from bridesmaids to champions. O'Neill, a tough, rugged prop forward from Gunnedah, joined the Rabbitohs in 1965, to become part of a famous forward pack that also included John Sattler, Elwyn Walters, Ron Coote and Bob McCarthy. He became renowned for his barging runs and brick-wall defence.
In the famous 1970 grand final, O'Neill was even more punishing after Sattler suffered a fractured jaw and his performance that day ensured his selection in the 1970 World Cup squad.
In the final of that tournament, O'Neill dished out plenty of punishment in the first half, and was the target for retribution in the second.
Afterwards, he was battered, his shin split to the bone, but all he could talk about was how Billy Smith had played on with a badly gashed leg.
O'Neill was a force in Manly's initial first-grade grand final win, a 19–14 victory over Easts in 1972, and staged a running battle with his opposite number, Englishman Cliff Watson, when the Sea Eagles beat Cronulla 10–7 a year later.
These displays helped earn him a place in the 1973 Kangaroos squad, and he made his Test debut on that tour.
The following season, he was a key player in the Australian team that won the Ashes-deciding third Test.
“I regarded O’Neill as a man of great character and great courage, and I realized he was the sort of forward Manly needed up front.”
Ken Arthuson Manly supremo
73. John O'Neill - Hall of Fame
Career Stats
Club Career
| Team Name | Competition | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gunnedah | 1964 | 1964 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | Premiership |
1965
1975 |
1971
1976 |
140 | 11 | - | - | 33 |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | Official Pre-Season |
1965
1975 |
1971
1976 |
37 | 5 | - | - | 15 |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | State Cup | 1965 | 1965 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Premiership | 1972 | 1974 | 51 | 3 | - | - | 9 |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Official Pre-Season | 1972 | 1974 | 9 | - | - | - | - |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Amco Cup | 1974 | 1974 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
Representative Career
City - Country
| Team Name | Opponent | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country Seconds | City Seconds | 1964 | 1964 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| City Seconds | Country Seconds |
1965
1969
1974 |
1965
1969
1974 |
3 | - | - | - | - |
| City Firsts | Country Firsts | 1970 | 1971 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
State
| Team Name | Competition | Opponent | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Interstate Series | Queensland |
1967
1969
1971 |
1967
1969
1971 |
4 | - | - | - | - |
| New South Wales | Great Britain | 1970 | 1970 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
International
| Team Name | Competition | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Tests |
1970
1972 |
1970
1975 |
10 | 2 | - | - | 6 |
| Australia | Tour Matches |
1970
1972 |
1970
1973 |
9 | - | - | - | - |
Other Representative
| Team Name | Opponent | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Division | 1964 | 1964 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 | |
| Northern Division | France | 1964 | 1964 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| NSW Colts | France | 1964 | 1964 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Kangaroos | The Rest | 1974 | 1974 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
Latest
Hall of Fame Members
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