John O’Neill was born in Warwick, Queensland, and went to St Mary’s Christian Brothers’ College at Toowoomba, and finished at Nudgee College. A gifted athlete, he had the problem of juggling his athletic ability with the study of medicine at the University of Queensland.
He played in all backline positions. He played for Queensland Rugby from 1952 – 1956 and 1960. He played two tests for the Wallabies against NZ in 1952 and two against SA in 1956.
