Hull FC are doing it tough now, but Ethan O’Neill, who wants to play for England one day, is adamant they can turn it around.
New Hull FC signing Ethan O’Neill wants to play for England in the future.
It didn’t take Ethan O’Neill long to realise Hull FC was the club for him. In fact, his mind was made up in a matter of weeks.
Originally joining Hull from Leeds Rhinos on a week-to-week loan, it soon became apparent that a permanent move was a possibility – and now here we are, with O’Neill putting pen to paper on a two-and-a-half-year deal.
By his own admission, it’s the best move for his career, and he’s now determined to make the most of it.
“It’s all about the opportunity,” O’Neill, speaking in his first interview as a Hull FC player, said. “The club made me feel wanted, not that I didn’t feel wanted at Leeds, but the opportunity was there for me to play week in week out.
“There’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes. Back when I was at Leeds, I was just trying to crack into that team and then the opportunity came here to play for Hull.
“I’ve grabbed it with both hands. It’s a privilege to come over here for the next two and a half years and show Hull who Ethan O’Neill is. I just want to show this club and the fans what sort of player I am with my skill and my work rate. I feel like I’m a bit of a fun player as well. I lead with my emotions. I get excited and hopefully I can score a fair few tries for the Black and Whites.
“Obviously, Steve McNamara is coming in next season and I’ve spoken to him. Working with him and Lasty is going to be awesome for me and my game. I’ve had long conversations with Steve and he’s confident about what I can bring to this team and so am I. I can’t wait to pick his brain and help him help me become a better player.”
Born in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, O’Neill came through the Sydney Roosters junior system before embarking on a Queensland Cup career. Before that, it was England that was more familiar.
The now 27-year-old spent time in the Widnes area while his dad, Julian O’Neill, was a player with the Vikings, and therefore doesn’t count on the quota. Not only that, O’Neill also qualifies to play for England through his late English grandmother – and is setting his sights high.
“My grandmother was English, and that makes me eligible for England,” O’Neill said. “That’s my aspiration, to play for England, and I want to prove to myself that I can do it.
“I’ve got to be playing some good football to be able to accomplish that, but it’s one game at a time and good things will happen if I’m playing consistently.
“Since I was a young kid, I’ve always had high aspirations to do big things in rugby league and I firmly believe that I can do it. I just need that opportunity to go out there every week and prove myself, be injury-free and play consistent football.”
On his upbringing, O’Neill continued: “When I was younger, I played for Halton Farnsworth Hornets. I was with them for a few years and that’s given me the eligibility to be considered an English player.
“I think I was maybe six months off getting my full English residency. So I was unlucky to not get that. But yeah, I played with them for a few years growing up.
“I just want to play national football. That’s a big goal of mine. I also want to win silverware with Hull FC. I was just looking in the club offices and they’ve got their Challenge Cup final winning days on the walls and I’m trying to envision us someday getting back to that.
“And I firmly believe that we have the team to do it. It’s a pity that we’ve had so many injuries this year. It’s a part of football, I guess, but I firmly believe that we’re capable.”
Settled in to new surroundings, O’Neill, who has moved from Saturday’s opponents Leigh to Leeds and now to Hull, just wants to make a fist of it at his new club – and get some familiarity.
“The boys have been really welcoming, and the coaching staff have been awesome,” he said. “The fans have been good as well. They’ve only just met me and hopefully they see a lot more of me. I’m slowly getting into my groove.
“I’ve come here wanting to play the best football of my career. I’m heading into my prime now so my idea coming to this club is to play my best footy for Hull FC.
“I back myself 100%, and that’s all I want to do, play football, at the end of the day, and I believe there’s a lot more to come from me, and I can’t wait to give that to Hull FC and their fans.”
Of course, O’Neill has arrived at Hull with the team in a tough spot. Ambition for the future is welcome, but reality suggests there’s work to do, with FC sitting 13th in Super League.
“The boys have been losing, but no one knows what goes on within the four walls,” O’Neill said. “They’re a good bunch of lads here and they’re all tight-knit. We all love each other, and we go in with the mindset each game to give 110% for the fans and for the club, and all we want to do is play our best footy.
“Just winning takes care of everything at the end of the day and we mentioned that in our team meetings. Once we start winning, I feel everything will change.
“It can turn and it will. I’ve been in this position before when I was at the Capras. They weren’t doing too good the year I went there. We finished last and then we had a really good pre-season, and we ended up finishing fourth that year – that was their highest position in over 16 years.
“It’s very doable and I feel like once we start gelling more and playing more football and knowing how we all play and we’re injury-free, there’s no stopping where we can go.”