Gaelic football
Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
er who plays as a right corner-forward for the
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
senior team.
O'Neill made his first appearance for the team during the 2009 championship and quickly became a regular member of the starting fifteen. Since then he has won one
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
medals, two
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
medals, two
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
medals and one All-Star award. O'Neill has been an All-Ireland runner-up on one occasion.
At club level O'Neill has won divisional football medals with
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
minor football team in 2005. He made his debut as a substitute in the first round of the provincial championship against
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
. Cork narrowly won that game and later qualified for a Munster final showdown with
Kerry
Kerry or Kerri may refer to:
* Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Kerry, Queensland, Australia
* County Kerry, Ireland
** Kerry Airport, an international airport in Count ...
. By that stage of the championship O'Neill had established himself as a key member of the starting fifteen. In an exciting game he ended up as Cork's top scorer with 2–3 and was a large factor in the 3–8 to 1–11 victory. It was also his first
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
minor winners' medal. Cork, however, were surprisingly defeated by
Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
in the subsequent All-Ireland quarter-final. and a point, Cork's defence of their provincial minor title ended with a semi-final defeat by
Tipperary
Tipperary is the name of:
Places
*County Tipperary, a county in Ireland
**North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh
**South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel
*Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
. That same year O'Neill was drafted onto the Cork under-21 football team. He came on as a substitute in the Munster semi-final victory over Clare, however, he played no part in the subsequent Munster final triumph and All-Ireland semi-final defeat.
In 2006 O'Neill was still eligible for the Cork minor team. In spite of scoring a goal and a point, Cork's defence of their provincial minor title ended with a semi-final defeat by
Tipperary
Tipperary is the name of:
Places
*County Tipperary, a county in Ireland
**North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh
**South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel
*Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
. Once again, O'Neill was drafted onto the Cork under-21 football team. He came on as a substitute in the Munster semi-final trouncing of Tipperary, however, his services were not required for the subsequent Munster final triumph and All-Ireland final defeat.
By 2007 O'Neill had established himself on the starting fifteen of the Cork under-21 team. He lined out in the provincial decider that year against Tipperary and a high-scoring and exciting game developed. O'Neill had an uncharacteristic quiet day and was held scoreless. In spite of that Cork still won by 3–19 to 3–12 and he added a
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
under-21 winners' medal to his collection. Cork later manoeuvred through the All-Ireland series and reached the All-Ireland final against
Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medi ...
. Another close and exciting game of football developed as neither side took a decisive lead. O'Neill chipped in with a goal and a point, to help his side to a narrow 2–10 to 0–15 victory. It was his first
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
winners' medal at under-21 level.
After surrendering their provincial under-21 crown in 2008, Cork bounced back in 2009 with O'Neill as captain. The Munster final that year pitted Cork against Tipperary and, once again, a close game was the result. At the full-time whistle 'the Rebels' did just about enough to secure a 1–9 to 2–5 victory. It was O'Neill's second Munster under-21 winners' medal on the field of play. For the second time in three years Cork subsequently reached the All-Ireland final. Down provided the opposition on that occasion and there was little to separate the two sides for much of the game. It took a late goal from Colm O'Driscoll to secure a 1–13 to 2–9 victory for Cork. Not only did O'Neill collect a second All-Ireland under-21 winners' medal, but he also had the honour of collecting the cup on behalf of his county.
Senior
In 2009 O'Neill joined the Cork senior football panel in time for the start of the championship. He made his senior debut as a substitute for James Masters against
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
in the provincial quarter-final. O'Neill also came on as a substitute in Cork's next game against
Kerry
Kerry or Kerri may refer to:
* Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Kerry, Queensland, Australia
* County Kerry, Ireland
** Kerry Airport, an international airport in Count ...
and immediately scored a 45-metre free to give Cork a one-point lead. Kerry, however, equalised and forced a draw. The replay saw Cork defeat their old enemy; however, O'Neill played no part in the game. He was introduced as a substitute again in the subsequent Munster final against Limerick, closely followed by his club-mate Paul O'Flynn. The game looked to be going away from Cork, however, 'the Rebels' fought back with O'Neill chipping in with a point. It was a vital score as Cork went on to win by a point on a score line of 2–6 to 0–11. It was O'Neill's first
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
winners' medal in the senior grade. Subsequent defeats of
Donegal Donegal may refer to:
County Donegal, Ireland
* County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster
* Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland
* Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
and Tyrone saw Cork qualify for an All-Ireland final showdown with Kerry. Cork were surprisingly named as favourites, however, this tag appeared to be justified when Cork led by 1–3 to 0–1 early in the opening half, courtesy of a goal and a point from O'Neill. The Kerry team stuck to their gameplan, helped in no small part by a Cork side that recorded fourteen wides. At the final whistle Kerry were the champions again by 0–16 to 1–9.
In 2010 O'Neill was used as an impact sub rather than as a member of the starting fifteen. A defeat by Kerry in a replay of the provincial semi-final resulted in Cork being exiled to the All-Ireland qualifiers. After negotiating their way through a difficult series of games, Cork defeated
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
to qualify for their third All-Ireland final in four years. Down provided the opposition on that occasion in the first meeting between these two teams since 1994. Cork got off to a lightning start, however, they eased off and trailed by three points at the interval. O'Neill didn't start, however, when he came on as a substitute he immediately caused problems in the full-forward line.
Paul Kerrigan
Paul Kerrigan (born 16 December 1986) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cork Premier Championship club Nemo Rangers. A member of the Cork senior football team for 13 seasons from 2008 until 2020, he won seven major trophies in his int ...
got his sole point of the match to put 'the Rebels' ahead for the first time in fifty minutes after surrendering the lead in the fifth minute. Cork stretched the lead to three points, however, Down fought back. At the full-time whistle Cork were the champions by 0–16 to 0–15 and O'Neill picked up an
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
winners' medal.
In 2011, O'Neill injured his cruciate ligament while playing for Cork against
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
. It was his second such injury having also done it in while playing for his club Ballyclough in 2008.
O'Neill did in his cruciate ligament for a third time while playing for Cork in the 2013 National Football League.
Career statistics
Honours
Cork
*
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...
:
**Winner (1): 2010
**Runner-up (1): 2009
*
Munster Senior Football Championship
The Munster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship and shortened to Munster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It i ...
:
**Winner (1): 2009
*
All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship
The GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the EirGrid GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association ( ...
Munster Under-21 Football Championship
The Munster GAA Football Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Munster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest ...
Munster Minor Football Championship
The Munster Minor Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for the youngest competitors (under-18) in the province of Munster in Ireland. It is ...