Wally O'Connell

Easts pivot got his big break in rep football when Balmain’s Ken Stephen withdrew from the NSW side in 1948. An Easts’ junior, O’Connell represented Sydney in 1943-44 and played in Easts’ premiership-winning team in 1945, but his belated call to rep duty proved to be the turning point in his career. The diminutive five-eighth went on to play in the Test series against NZ and impressed with his blind-side running and resolute defence. On the 1948-49 Kangaroos tour, O’Connell appeared in all five Tests and captained Australia in the First Test against Great Britain. On his return to Australia he took on a captain-coach position in Wollongong but when he attempted to join Manly as captain-coach in 1950, Easts appealed to the NSWRL. The Residential Status Committee ruled that O’Connell had not qualified to play for the Sea Eagles and ordered him to play with Easts. In order to honour his agreement to coach Manly O’Connell sat out the 1950 season rather than play with his former club - thereby forfeiting his Test position for the Ashes series against Great Britain. Captain-coach of Manly in 1950-52, O’Connell regained his Test spot against France in 1951 but injury ruled him out of the Sea Eagles’ maiden grand final appearance that year. He retired in 1952 after suffering an eye injury but returned to coach the Sea Eagles in 1966-67. O’Connell also coached Queensland in 1973 but he tried to do too much with too little and his side failed to score a point in three interstate matches.