Gerry O'Neill

{{short description|Australian rules footballer, born 1919}}

{{for|the Northern Irish Gaelic footballer|Gerry O'Neill (Gaelic footballer)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}

{{Use Australian English|date=September 2015}}

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Gerry O'Neill

| image =

| fullname = Gerald O'Neill

| birth_date = {{birth date|1919|04|13|df=y}}

| birth_place = Chiltern, Victoria

| death_date = {{death date and age|2004|08|01|1919|04|13|df=y}}

| death_place = Wangaratta, Victoria

| originalteam = Chiltern, North Footscray, Kingsville

| height = 178 cm

| weight = 73 kg

| position =

| statsend = 1944

| years1 = 1943–44

| club1 = {{AFL Foo}}

| games_goals1 = 16 (2)

| careerhighlights = * Chiltern premiership player: 1936, 40, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 & 53.

• 1940 - C&DFA Azzi Medal
• 1950 - C&DFA Leading Goalkicker: 139 goals
• 1954 - O&KFL Leading Goalkicker: 87 goals

}}

Gerry "Podge" O'Neill (13 April 1919 – 1 August 2004) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL).{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 |last=Holmesby|first=Russell|last2=Main|first2=Jim |year=2014 |edition=10th |isbn=978-1-921496-32-5 |publisher=BAS Publishing |location=Seaford, Victoria |page=673}}

O'Neill first played senior football with Chiltern in the Chiltern & District Football Association as a 17 year in 1936. He played in their 1936{{cite web |title=1936 - Chiltern & DFA - Grand Final match review |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/112691033 |website=Trove Newspapers |publisher=The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW) |accessdate=29 September 2020 |pages=38 |date=28 August 1936}} and 1940{{cite web |title=1940 - Chiltern & DFL - Grand Final match review |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/236656955 |website=Trove Newspapers |publisher=The Corowa Free Press (NSW) |accessdate=14 October 2020 |pages=4 |date=27 August 1940}} premiership teams and won the 1940 Chiltern & District Football Association best and fairest award, the Azzi Medal.{{cite web |title=1940 - Chiltern & DFA - Azzi Medal |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/236653052 |website=Trove Newspapers |accessdate=29 October 2020 |pages=4 |date=2 August 1940}}

O'Neill then moved to Melbourne and played with North Footscray 1941,{{cite web |title=1941 - Chiltern Football Club |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/255278959 |publisher=Border Morning Mail (Albury, NSW) |access-date=16 October 2023 |pages=6 |date=24 April 1941}} then with Kingsville in 1942.

O'Neill managed to play 16 games for Footscray during 1943{{cite web |title=1943 - Football permits granted |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11343709 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=13 October 2023 |pages=9 |date=13 May 1943}} and 1944,{{cite web |title=1944 - Football clubs complete lists |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11816609 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=13 October 2023 |pages=9 |date=1 May 1944}} after debuting against Carlton in round two, 1943.{{cite web |title=1943 - Carlton beat Footscray |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/225420850 |publisher=Weekly Times |access-date=13 October 2023 |pages=20 |date=19 May 1943}}

O'Neill served in World War II, initially enlisting in the Australian Army in 1941{{cite web |url=https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=633729&c=WW2 |title=World War II Roll: Gerald O'Neill (Army) |publisher=Department of Veterans Affairs}} but transferring to the Royal Australian Air Force in 1943{{cite web |url=https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=984105&c=WW2 |title=World War II Roll: Gerald O'Neill (RAAF) |publisher=Department of Veterans Affairs}} where he served in the 2nd Airfield Construction Squadron. O'Neill played for Footscray during his period of war service.

O'Neill returned to play with Chiltern in 1947 and then played in Chiltern's 1947,{{cite web |title=1947 - Chiltern Football Banquet |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/263551972 |publisher=Border Morning Mail (Albury, NSW) |access-date=16 October 2023 |pages=6 |date=13 October 1947}} 48,{{cite web |title=1948 - Banquet at Chiltern |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/263787928 |publisher=Border Morning Mail (Albury, NSW) |access-date=17 October 2023 |pages=12 |date=11 October 1948}} 49,{{cite web |title=1949 - CHILTERN CLUB'S PREMIER SHIP DINNER |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/264037102 |publisher=Border Morning Mail (Albury, NSW) |access-date=17 October 2023 |pages=11 |date=3 October 1949}} 50, 51{{cite web |title=1951 - Chiltern's fifth successive |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/267937078 |publisher=Border Morning Mail (Albury, NSW) |access-date=19 October 2023 |pages=11 |date=17 September 1951}} and 53 Chiltern & District Football Association premierships. O'Neill was captain-coach of Chiltern from 1951 to 1953 and in 1954, when Chiltern joined the Ovens & King Football League.

In August 1950, O’Neill kicked 24 goals against Springhurst in round 16, to bring his goal tally to 116 for the season.{{cite web |title=1950 - Chiltern player sets record |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22908360# |website=Trove Newspapers |publisher=The Argus |accessdate=5 November 2020 |pages=12 |date=23 August 1950}} O'Neill finished the 1950 season with 139 goals, after kicking nine goals in the grand final win against Howlong.{{cite web |title=1950 - CHILTERN’S FOURTH SUCCESSIVE PREMIERSHIP |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/267873479/30099867 |publisher=Border Mail |access-date=19 October 2023 |pages=11 |date=2 October 1950}}

In the 1952 C&DFA grand final, O'Neill kicked nine goals against Corowa Stars Football Club, but Chiltern lost by 15 points.{{cite web |title=1952 - corowa Stars win premiership |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/268686350 |publisher=Rutherglen Sun and Chiltern Valley Advertiser (Vic) |access-date=17 October 2023 |pages=2 |date=30 September 1952}}

In Chiltern's first year in the Ovens & King Football League in 1954, O'Neill was the leading goalkicker in the O&KFL, with 87 goals for the season, in which he retired at the end of the season, after a controversial grand final loss.{{cite web |title=1954 - FOOTBALL—O. & K. LEAGUE GRETA WINS THRILLING GRAND FINAL BY 4 - POINT MARGIN |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/268191370# |publisher=Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic) |access-date=16 October 2023 |date=22 September 1954}}

O'Neill was captain-coach of Chiltern that lost to Greta by four points in the 1954 O&KFL grand final, after being four goals in front after 35 minutes, with the last quarter going for a staggering 43 minutes.{{cite web |title=1954 - Time on for Chiltern |url=https://www.acmi.net.au/works/119250--time-on-for-chiltern/ |website=ACMI |publisher=ACMI |access-date=16 October 2023 |date=2007}} {{cite web |title=1954 - CHILTERN’S PROTEST DISMISSED: APPEAL TO N.E. COUNCIL |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/268186093 |publisher=Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic) |access-date=17 October 2023 |pages=1 |date=25 September 1954}} {{cite web |title=1954 - FOOTBALL—O. & K. LEAGUE RECORD FIGURES, £102 DIVIDEND |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/268190534# |publisher=Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic) |access-date=17 October 2023 |pages=7 |date=6 October 1954}}

His grandson is former AFL footballer from the {{AFL BB}}, Nigel Lappin.