Wally O'Connell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wally O'Connell

Personal information
Full name	Walter Patrick O'Connell
Born	(1923-04-06)6 April 1923 Paddington, New South Wales, Australia
Died	28 June 2017(2017-06-28) (aged 94) Bellevue Hill, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Position	Five-eighth
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1942–48 Eastern Suburbs 89 24 7 0 86 1949 Brothers (Wollongong) 1951–52 Manly-Warringah 34 11 0 0 33 Total 123 35 7 0 119 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1943–52 City NSW 3 0 0 0 0 1948–52 New South Wales 5 1 0 0 3 1948–51 Australia 10 2 0 0 6
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1951–52 Manly-Warringah 40 24 0 16 60 1966–67 Manly-Warringah 42 23 2 17 55 Total 82 47 2 33 57 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 1973 Queensland 3 0 0 3 0

Wally O'Connell (born April 6, 1923, died June 28, 2017) was a famous Australian rugby league player and coach. He was known for playing as a 'five-eighth', a key attacking position, for the Australian national team, also known as the Kangaroos. He played in ten international 'Test' matches between 1948 and 1951, and even captained the team once. Wally's younger brother, Barry, also played top-level rugby league.

Wally O'Connell's Playing Days

Wally O'Connell started his rugby league journey as a junior player for the Eastern Suburbs club.

Playing for Eastern Suburbs

Wally began his professional career in 1942 with the Eastern Suburbs team. He played with them for seven seasons, appearing in 80 games. His first time playing for a representative team was in 1943 for City New South Wales. In 1945, Wally helped the Roosters win the premiership final against Balmain.

During World War II, big international matches were cancelled. So, Wally didn't get to play his first 'Test' match for Australia until 1948 against New Zealand. He was chosen for the 1948-49 Kangaroo Tour, where he played in five Test matches and 16 other games. He captained the Kangaroos only once, in the first Test of the 1948 Ashes series in Leeds.

Moving to Manly-Warringah

In 1949, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, a newer team in the Sydney competition, wanted Wally O'Connell to join them. He was considered one of Australia's best players. He spent 1949 as a player-coach for a team in Wollongong.

Manly offered Wally a good deal to join them for the 1950 season. However, his old club, Eastern Suburbs, stopped the transfer. They argued that Wally and his wife hadn't fully moved to Manly. Because of this, Wally decided not to play at all in 1950, which also put his international career at risk.

Wally eventually played two seasons with Manly as a player-coach. He led them to second place in 1951 and to the club's first ever Grand final appearance. Sadly, he couldn't play in that Grand Final because of a broken wrist. He had to watch from the sidelines as his team lost by a large margin. His last international game was in 1951 against France.

After Playing: Coaching and Awards

After retiring as a player, Wally O'Connell started a new career in the media. He worked for a Sydney radio station, calling rugby league games.

Coaching Career

In 1966, Wally became the coach for Manly again. He was famous for bringing a talented young player named Bob Fulton straight into the top team at just 17 years old. Bob Fulton later became a rugby league legend.

Awards and Legacy

On Australia Day in 2004, Wally O'Connell was given the Order of Australia Medal (OAM). This award recognized his great service to rugby league as both a player and a coach.

Wally O'Connell was the oldest living Australian Test captain until he passed away on June 28, 2017, at the age of 94.

Images for kids

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  Wally O'Connell in his playing days.