Vale Dallas O’Neill

The South Sydney Rabbitohs are mourning the passing of former Rabbitohs first grade second row and prop forward, Dallas O’Neill, who passed away on Saturday, 28 March 2026 at Byron Bay, at the age of 83.

Dallas John O’Neill was born on 9 March 1943 at Mackay, Queensland. Mr O’Neill was an inspirational leader and became a towering figure in Queensland rugby throughout the 1960s when he earned the rare honour of captaining his state at the tender young age of 21. He became Queensland rugby union player #749, playing for his state 25 times and leading the team on 14 occasions.

Mr O’Neill came down from Mackay in 1958 to board at St. Joseph’s College, Nudgee, where he was regarded as a rugby prodigy. He captained the Nudgee College to dual GPS premierships in 1960-61. After his schooling he went straight into first grade at the Brisbane Brothers Club in 1962, and within weeks made his debut for Queensland against Victoria at Manly Oval. Dallas played well in the Wallaby trials and after Brothers’ captain Peter Stevens was injured found himself named in the Australian squad to tour New Zealand in 1962, where he played in five tour matches.

The following year he toured South Africa with the Wallabies and played in ten tour matches. He was selected to make his Test debut on that tour, but ruled himself out owing to a groin injury as there were no replacements allowed in those days. Further injuries on that tour prevented him from making the other Test sides. In 1964 he toured New Zealand with the Wallabies and finally earned a Test debut at Carisbrook. In 1966 he broke his leg in the second interstate game against NSW, after a collapsed ruck. He suffered a Pott’s fracture, which dislocated his foot and tore the bone away from the ankle. He had screws inserted and was determined to make the Fifth Wallabies tour to Britain, and after playing in the trials in sheer pain as the screws had come loose and sadly his name was not included in the final 3-man squad. His last game of rugby union was playing in Brothers’ winning 1966 grand final side.

Then out of the blue, Mr O’Neill received a phone call from South Sydney rugby league coach Clive Churchill, offering him a contract, and he asked Souths if they would also be interested in signing Bob Honan as well. ‘The Little Master’ jumped at the chance to secure both their signatures for 1967 and beyond. But it was never going to be an easy ride for him or Honan at the Rabbitohs, who already had a team full of star players.

Mr O’Neill made his first grade debut with the Rabbitohs in round one, 1967, against Wests Magpies at Pratten Park, Ashfield, to become our Player #545 in our first grade Players Register. A major knee injury in his first season at the Rabbitohs meant that fans never saw the best of him. He spent five seasons at the Rabbitohs and played in 88 grade games, with 15 of them in first grade. Those five seasons he spent at the Rabbitohs are now regarded as our third Golden Era, when the Club won four premierships and were runners-up in 1969, and he played at least one first grade match in each of those five seasons. Mr O’Neill later said that he thoroughly enjoyed his time at the Rabbitohs, despite the frequent injuries he sustained.

He returned to Brisbane in 1972 to play for Wests Panthers and before the premiership started he badly slipped and hurt his knee again after a fishing trip. All he had to do was run onto the field in the first game and get his advanced payment but he couldn’t do that to the club. So he phoned the Club secretary, Hughie Kelly, and told him to tear up the contract.

After retiring as a player he switched codes again to coach the Brisbane Brothers rugby union side, guiding them to a hat-trick of premierships in 1973, 1974 and 1975.

The Brisbane Brothers Rugby Club awarded Mr O’Neill Life Membership in 2016, for his significant contributions to the club as a premierhsip winning player and coach.

His former teammate at Brothers and the Wallabies, Dave Dunworth, said this about him: "Dallas was a top man and he will be missed. He was a real idol to many. I know I was pretty much in awe of him as a young fella playing in that 1966 grand final in what became his last game for Brothers. He had a presence about him and was a very good manager of men. He'd talk to a team as a coach and everyone listened. He knew when to be tough and when to have fun. He was definitely equipped to coach Queensland but never did."

On behalf of everyone connected with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, we offer our deepest and most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Dallas O’Neill.