Chris O'Sullivan (born 23 September 1959) is an Australian former professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

ed in the 1990s. O'Sullivan played for the

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...

(winning the 1989 and 1990 Grand Finals). O'Sullivan's position of choice was .

Playing career

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

O'Sullivan trialed with the

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby leag ...

for the 1981 season, but he was suspended whilst playing in a trial match during the 1981 pre-season and missed being graded by the Cronulla club.

Canberra Raiders

O'Sullivan made his first grade début for the

in the club's inaugural season of 1982. Although he started the season in reserve grade, he finished the year as the Raiders' leading try-scorer with 12 tries. In

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, he played in the club's maiden Grand Final appearance against the

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...

, he showed his quick thinking when he feigned injury close to the try line before miraculously springing to his feet to back up and score the Raiders' only try in the match. The Raiders were defeated 18-8 in front of 50,201 in what was the last Grand Final played at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Oldham RLFC

O'Sullivan played for English side

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...

in the 1988–89 English season scoring three tries, and kicking four field goals.

Canberra Raiders 2

Back in Australia in

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

, O'Sullivan was part of the Raiders' 19-14 Grand Final victory over the

Balmain Tigers The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995–96) are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful i ...

in which he helped his side's fightback by setting up a dramatic last-minute try by kicking a well placed cross-field bomb on the final tackle in which the Balmain side would fumble, Canberra's

Laurie Daley Laurie William Daley AM (born 20 October 1969), also known by the nicknames of "Lozza" and "Loz", is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and a former player who played as a and in the 1980s and 1990s. He represented Au ...

would pick up the loose ball and pass it to the unmarked Canberra John Ferguson who would dart and weave his way infield to score under the posts, sending the Grand Final into extra-time for the first time in history. O'Sullivan also kicked the vital field goal which gave the Raiders a 15-14 lead in extra-time. He traveled with the Raiders to England in the post-season for the

1989 World Club Challenge The 1989 World Club Challenge (also known as the Foster's World Club Challenge due to sponsorship by brewers, Foster's) was the third ever and first official World Club Challenge match. 1989's NSWRL season premiers, the Canberra Raiders travelle ...

playing five-eighth in Canberra's 30-18 loss to

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form th ...

at the Old Trafford stadium in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. More success followed O'Sullivan in 1990. He was a member of the Raiders' team in their successful 18-14 win over the

Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrit ...

in the 1990 Grand Final.

Warrington

After the

1990 NSWRL season The 1990 New South Wales Rugby League season was the eighty-third season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Sixteen clubs competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup during the premiership season, which culminated in a g ...

ended, O'Sullivan once again traveled to England, this time playing for

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

in the 1990-91 English season scoring three tries.

Swinton

O'Sullivan did not take part in the Raiders'

1991 NSWRL season The 1991 NSWRL season was the eighty-fourth season of professional rugby league football in Australia. This year the New South Wales Rugby League experimented with a draft system for the first time. Sixteen clubs competed for the J J Giltinan Sh ...

campaign instead choosing to stay in England to play for Swinton in the upcoming 1991-92 English season.

Canberra Raiders 3

In 1992, O'Sullivan returned to the Raiders in what was a troubled season in which they only won 10 games. After making only six appearances in the

1992 NSWRL season The 1992 New South Wales Rugby League Premiership season was the eighty-fifth season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Sixteen teams competed for the J.J. Giltinan Shield during the season which culminated in a grand final for ...

, O'Sullivan decided to retire at season's end. With 202 appearances, he held the record for most appearances with the Raiders until Steve Walters surpassed him in the 1995 season. O'Sullivan is currently ranked 10th on the Raiders' list for most appearances behind

Jason Croker Jason Croker (born 10 March 1973) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative utility player, he previously played club football in the NRL for t ...

(318),

Jarrod Croker Jarrod Keith Croker (born 11 September 1990) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who is the captain and goal-kicking for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. He has played his entire career to date with Canberra, with whom he b ...

(291),

(244), Josh Papalii (239), Simon Woolford (234), Steve Walters (228),

Ruben Wiki Ruben James Wiki (born 21 January 1973) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative centre-turned-prop forward, he retired with the record for most ...

, (224), Alan Tongue (220), and

Ricky Stuart Ricky John Stuart (born 7 January 1967) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of the Canberra Raiders in the NRL and a former rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. H ...

(203).

Post playing

In 2006, O'Sullivan was picked in the Raiders' 25-man "Dream Team" picked in the Canberra Times to commemorate the club's 25th season in 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OSullivan, Chris 1959 births Living people Australian rugby league coaches Australian rugby league players Canberra Raiders players Country New South Wales Origin rugby league team players Oldham R.L.F.C. players Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league players from Canberra Swinton Lions coaches Swinton Lions players Warrington Wolves players