Steve O'Dea is an Australian former

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 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for South Sydney and Western Suburbs in the

New South Wales Rugby League The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...

(NSWRL) competition.

Playing career

O'Dea made his first grade debut for Souths against

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

in round 19 1988 at

WIN Stadium Wollongong Showground, known as WIN Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Wollongong, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawa ...

scoring a try in a 22–20 victory. In 1989, O'Dea was part of the South Sydney side which won the minor premiership. O'Dea played in the club's preliminary final defeat against eventual premiers 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 ...

at the

Sydney Football Stadium The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...

. The following year in 1990, O'Dea played 11 games as South Sydney finished bottom of the table managing to only win 2 games all year. O'Dea played with Souths until the end of 1992 before departing. He played a total of 146 games for the club across all grades. O'Dea joined Western Suburbs in 1993 but only managed to make 4 appearances for Wests in his only season at the club.

References

Place of birth missing (living people) Living people 1966 births South Sydney Rabbitohs players Western Suburbs Magpies players Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league centres Australian rugby league players {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1960s-stub