WiganWarriorsFans.com

Wintergreen wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 12:53 pm Having watched him for a while now, I have been very impressed with his tackling technique. A valuable asset in these times.

EagleEyePie wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 2:02 pm He's a fantastic all round player but I think his defence has really improved over the last few months. Initially there were a few occasions where he'd get caught out but that was just down to inexperience. I'd say he's now one of our stronger defenders.

His attacking game is impressive too. He reminds me so much of Mark Riddell (who was massively underrated in my opinion) in that his distribution is so quick and accurate you pretty much take it for granted and when it comes to running he doesn't overdo it, but picks his moments and makes so many metres when he does.

In fact he averages 8.8 metres per carry which is among the highest in the league. If you ignore players who have made fewer than 50 carries this year (i.e. those who've played a small number of games) he's 7th behind Ricky Leutele, Tom Johnstone, Jason Qareqare, Liam Marshall, Nene Macdonald and Konrad Hurrell. Noticeably they are all outside backs and either flyers or big powerful ball carriers that make a lot of metres through kick returns. O'Neill makes almost all of his metres from behind the ruck. I think it's something that goes unnoticed but his average gain is better than Edwin Ipape who's a really effective runner.

In the last couple of games we've also see what's likely to be his role next season, which a few people have suggested previously. He plays good minutes at hooker and then comes on at 13 to spell Smithies and we get more out of him. That role is ideal for him and he impressed at both 9 and 13 in the academy and reserves.