The Canterbury Bulldogs have made another signing move as they look to clinch their first premiership since 2004, upgrading a member of last season’s development list to the club’s Top 30 roster for the 2026 NRL season.
One of six players on the club’s development list during this year’s campaign, Zero Tackle understands that young playmaker Joseph O’Neill has earned a contract upgrade, which will see him spend next season as a member of the side’s Top 30 roster.
A former captain of the club’s Under-21s Jersey Flegg Cup team, the halfback was close to making his NRL debut this season after impressive performances in the NSW Cup and NRL Pre-Season Challenge.
The move to upgrade O’Neill comes after strong back-to-back campaigns in the NSW Cup competition.
Playing 20 reserve-grade matches in 2024, he played a further 16 this year and was a regular in the halves before making the move to a lock-forward role at the backend of the season after returning from a stint on the sidelines due to injury.
During these matches, O’Neill racked up three tries, one forced drop-out, seven try assists, eight line-break assists, three offloads, 740 running metres (46 per match) and 244 total tackles at an efficiency rate of 90.7 per cent.
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