After signing for Leopards on a two-year contract Ethan is set to join the elite group of fathers and sons to play for Leigh, as his father Julian O’Neill (HN#1258) scored 122 points in 12 games for the club in 2006.

A highly rated second row forward, Ethan was born in Sydney and has been on the registers of South Sydney and Brisbane Broncos. In 2024 he was a regular for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup.

Ethan’s father Julian was a brilliant halfback who played for London Broncos, Wigan Warriors, Widnes Vikings, Wakefield Trinity and Leigh in the UK. He had a successful career in Australia, where he won international honours with the Australian Super League team in 1997 and played State of Origin for Queensland.

During his time at Wigan in 2002-03 he partnered Leopards’ head coach Adrian Lam at halfback for the Warriors, including the 2002 Challenge Cup Final victory over St Helens at Murrayfield.

Ethan made his senior and Leopards debut in the Challenge Cup tie at Workington Town and was outstanding in the Round One victory at Wigan Warriors to cement his claims for a starting place in the back row.