O'Neill is a one time Third Grade premiership winner for South Sydney in 1969. Also playing in the 1970 Third Grade premiership decider for South Sydney. He was also a member of the 1967, 1970 and 1971 South Sydney first grade premiership winning squads. He also made a cameo in the 1968 South Sydney reserve grade premiership winning squad.
O'Neill was an outstanding Queensland Rugby Union schoolboy and international representative player, having captained his state and toured South Africa and New Zealand with the Wallabies, before coming to South Sydney. But his representaive career was being cut short with a number of ongoing injuries, where he only plyed 2 Rugby Union Tests. O'Neill was educated at Nugee college in Brisbane and was also a Queensland junior schoolboy state hockey player for Queenslands and Combined GPS shot putter in athletics. After winning the Brisbane RU premiership in 1966 and missing out on the 1966-67 Wallabies tour of England again through injury, and with the advent of 4 tackle football, he was one of a number of rugby union converts brought into the South Sydney ranks in the 1967 season. O'Neill made his first grade cup debut for South Sydney in the 1967 midweek Pre-Season Semi-Final clash against Manly Warringah at the Sports Ground. 2 weeks later he made his senior and first grade premiership debut in the 1967 Round 1 clash against Western Suburbs at Pratten Park.
O'Neill was a big, fast attacking second rower or prop, who was also a insperational leader. But his career at South Sydney was hampered by his ongoing cruciate ligament injury from his rugby days, missing almost the entire 1968 season. To make matters worse he was also playing behind a international premiership winning forward pack.
O'Neill played 5 seasons with South Sydney between 1967 and 1971. He played 18 first grade club games for South Sydney, which included 15 first grade premiership games and 3 first grade cup games. Overall he played 91 senior grade career club games for South Sydney, which included 88 senior grade premiership games for South Sydney.
O'Neill played his final first grade premiership game for South Sydney in the 1971 Round 14 clash against Cronulla-Sutherland at Endeavour Field. He played his last reserve grade premiership game for South Sydney in the 1971 Round 17 clash against Canterbury-Bankstown at Belmore Oval. His final senior grade game for South Sydney was in the 1971 Third Grade Preliminary Final clash against Canterbury-Bankstown at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Playing - Height / Weight
5ft 11in / 15st
Representative Qualification
Queensland
Date of Birth
Mackay, Qld - 9th March 1943 - (Died - 2026)
Previous Clubs
Nudgee College RU (Bris) (1960-61) (c)
Brothers RU (Bris) (1962-66)
Previous Rep Honours M T G FG Pt
Queensland Schoolobys (Hockey)
Queensland RU (1962-64) 25 (c)
Australia RU (1962-64) 2 (c)
Playing Career at South Sydney (1967-71)
South Sydney First Grade Debut
1967 Mar 22 PreSF SSG v Manly-Warringah (24y 13d)
1967 Apr 1 Rd01 Prat v Western Suburbs (Premiership - 24y 23d)
First Grade
Premiership : ANZ & Aust Championship : Pre-Season Comp : Tour
M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts
1967 7 7 - - - - - : : 2 1 (1) - - - - : - - - - - - -
1968 - - - - - - - : - - - - - - - : - - - - - - - : - - - - - - -
1969 - - - - - - - : : - - - - - - -
1970 2 2 - - - - - : : - - - - - - - : - - - - - - -
1971 6 5 (1) - - - - : : 1 - (1) - - - -
TOTAL 15 14 (1) - - - - : - - - - - - - : 3 1 (2) - - - - : - - - - - - -
SS Cup 3 1 (2) - - - -
SS FG 18 15 (3) - - - -
Lower Grades
Reserve Grade : Third Grade :
Year M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts :
1967 6 6 - - - - - : - - - - - - -
1968 1 1 - - - - - : 7 7 - - - 1 2
1969 12 12 - - - 1 2 : 8 6 (2) - - 2 4
1970 8 8 - - - - - : 15 15 - 1 - 1 5
1971 10 10 - - - - - : 6 6 - - - - -
TOTAL 37 37 - - - 1 2 : 36 34 (2) 1 - 4 11
South Sydney Senior(FG/RG/3G) Grade Career
Premiership : Cup : All Matches
M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts
CAREER 88 85 (3) 1 - 5 13 : 3 1 (2) - - - - : 91 86 (5) 1 - 5 13
Captaincy Record at South Sydney
never
Suspension Record at South Sydney
Year Grade v Wk CHARGE 1971 Rd22 3G Easts 1 Fighting
Representative Honours at South Sydney
Year Pos Team Versus Match T G/A FG none
After Leaving South Sydney
In 1972 he headed back to Brisbane, but injured his knee once again, this time in a offield fishing trip before the season started. He returned his contract fees and retired from playing. The following year he returned to rugby union as a successful 3 time premeirship winning coach.
Subsequent Clubs First Grade
M T G FG Pt
Western Suburbs (Bris) (1972) (never played after re-injuring his knee)
Brothers (Bris) RU (1973-75) (3 time premiership winning coach)
First Class Playing Career (1967-72)
M T G FG Pts
Total FG Premiership 15 - - - -
Total FG Cup 3 - - - -
Total FG Club Tour - - - - -
Total Internationals - - - - -
Total State - - - - -
Total Other Representative - - - - -
TOTAL FIRST CLASS 18 - - - -
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