Former Broncos, Rabbitohs youngster makes overseas move

After spending time in the system of the Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs, youngster Ethan O'Neill has decided to take his talents overseas.

Aiming to make a name for himself and break out of his father's shadow, O'Neill has agreed to a two-year contract to play under Adrian Lam at the Leigh Leopards in the Super League competition.

The move will see him play alongside former NRL players David Armstrong (Newcastle Knights), Tesi Niu (Brisbane Broncos/The Dolphins), Lachlan Lam (Sydney Roosters), Aaron Pene (Melbourne Storm), Ben Condon (Manly Sea Eagles) and Isaac Liu (Sydney Roosters/Gold Coast Titans).

Aged 25, he helped the Rabbitohs win the NSW Cup and State Championship in 2023 before earning a deal with the Brisbane Broncos.

Unfortunately, his first match for the Broncos - in the NRL Pre-Season challenge - saw him suffer a fractured eye socket following an accidental eye poke from Bailey Hodgson.

“I'm real excited about coming to Leigh and joining a club that's building something special," he said.

“I can't wait to meet all the staff and players and especially the fans!

“It's a massive opportunity for me to come over and show everyone what sort of person and player I am. Bring on 2025!”

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The son of former Australian and Origin representative Julian O'Neill, Ethan made 16 appearances for the Burleigh Bears - the feeder club of the Brisbane Broncos - this season, playing in the centres and coming off the interchange bench.

These matches saw him score three tries, make two line-breaks and 111 tackles with 90.2 tackle efficiency and average 67 running metres per match.

“Ethan is an edge back rower who has played a lot of Queensland Cup and NSW Cup games in the past few seasons," Leigh Leopards Head of Rugby Chris Chester added.

“It was important to bring depth to the back row after the departure of Kai O'Donnell and I am looking forward to seeing how Ethan integrates into the squad.”