LEIGH Leopards have signed Australian forward Ethan O’Neill on a two-year contract.

He is set to join the elite group of fathers and sons to play for Leigh, as his father Julian O’Neill scored 122 points in 12 games for the club in 2006.

A second-row forward, the Sydney-born 25-year-old has been on the registers of South Sydney and Brisbane Broncos but in 2024 he was a regular for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup.

Leopards head of rugby Chris Chester said: “Ethan is an edge back rower who has played a lot of Queensland Cup and NSW Cup games in the past few seasons.

“It was important to bring depth to the back row after the departure of Kai O’Donnell.”

O’Neill said: "I’m real excited about coming to Leigh and joining a club that’s building something special.

“I can’t wait to meet all the staff and players and especially the fans!

“It’s a massive opportunity for me to come over and show everyone what sort of person and player I am.”

Ethan O’NeillEthan O’Neill (Image: YouTube)

Ethan’s father Julian was a half-back who played for London Broncos, Wigan Warriors, Widnes Vikings, Wakefield Trinity and Leigh in the UK.

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

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.