John O'Donnell (8 June 1947 – 13 November 2018) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played with St Kilda in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL). He sustained a knee injury after taking a high mark over

Ross Dunne Ross 'Twiggy' Dunne (born 25 February 1948) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He became famous for kicking the goal in the dying minutes of the 1977 VF ...

, and contracted golden staph from the subsequent operation. The infection was severe, and he was unable to make a return to the VFL. O'Donnell's cousin,

Simon O'Donnell Simon Patrick O'Donnell (born 26 January 1963) is an Australian former cricketer, VFL footballer, and horse racing and cricket commentator. He is currently a horse breeder and enabler. He is a former record holder for the fastest One Day Inter ...

, was a cricketer for Australia and Victoria and also played VFL football for St Kila.

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* * 1947 births Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) St Kilda Football Club players People educated at Xavier College 2018 deaths 20th-century Australian sportsmen {{AFL-bio-1940s-stub