Competing for an NRL contract after moving to the Brisbane Broncos, young forward Ethan O'Neill has suffered a serious injury from last weekend.
The son of former Origin representative Julian O'Neill, Ethan has fractured his eye socket after a finger was poked deep into his eyeball during the club's trial match against the Manly Sea Eagles.
With the incident going viral across social media platforms, the 24-year-old was seen immediately clutching at his eye with his hands after the incident in which he was accidentally poked by Sea Eagles player Bailey Hodgson.
After the incident, he was then rushed to the hospital at the Northern Beaches, where the severity of his injury was revealed. Unfortunately, he will now be on the sidelines for up to six weeks, missing the start of the NRL and QLD Cup season.
However, it is understood that Brisbane Broncos official Chris Muckert told him that he could return in four weeks time instead of the estimated return date.
โIt felt like my eye was on fire,โ O'Neill told The Sydney Morning Herald.
โIt's not fun. It's not ideal. I was trying to score a try, I tried to hit and spin, but as I spun, his [Hodgson's] hands caught me in the face.
โI immediately grabbed my eye and it was stinging. The pressure was like the pressure you feel behind your eyes when on a plane.
โWhen I walked to the sheds, my eyeball immediately puffed up. I was seeing double. I looked in the mirror and was like, โwhat the f...?', and started stressing.
โI never heard from [Hodgson], but I also don't know if he knew the extent of damage he caused to my face.
"I'm sure it wasn't intentional, and that it was only an accident. There's a one in a million chance of that happening."
Broncos youngster Ethan OโNeill suffered a fractured eye socket after an gruesome accidental poke to the eye on the weekend (via @mrchrisnico).
Was unable to fly home from NSW (change in pressure brings risks) so was driven back the next day. Likely 4-6 week recovery ahead. pic.twitter.com/rdRA5SNUNl
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) February 26, 2024
O'Neill joined the Broncos after 25 games in the NSW Cup for the South Sydney Rabbitohs last season and was instrumental in them winning the NSW Cupย Grand Final.
Starting in all but one game, O'Neill struggled to break through the club ranks and hopes that a change of location will see him earn his NRL debut.
In his 25 games, he scored nine tries, had six line-breaks, provided two line-break assists, made 689 tackles at an efficiency of 92 per cent and averaged 79 running metres per game.
โIt's a shame because I'm fighting for a contract,โ he added.
โI won the NSW Cup with Souths last year, then I got a call from โKevvy' [Kevin Walters] about a train-and-trial. I signed with the Burleigh Bears.
โThe goal is to still get a taste of NRL this year. I'll keep working hard to get to that point. I believe it will happen, it's just a matter of time.โ
