By Adrian Proszenko
27 September 2018 — 7:00pmFormer Wests Tigers captain Mark O’Neill has been tasked with overseeing Parramatta’s resurrection after being appointed as the club’s head of football.
After an exhaustive process that resulted in officials from AFL, rugby and rugby league being shortlisted, O’Neill has been offered one of the toughest jobs in Australian sport. The Eels finished the year with the wooden spoon, a rapid decline after a top-four finish the previous season.
The appointment comes after an independent review of the football department found key areas were under-resourced and that the junior pathways and talent identification systems needed urgent attention.
There were more than 80 applicants and only nine contenders were interviewed. It's understood O'Neill, who has been working in a senior management role at Woolworths, met with chief executive Bernie Gurr and coach Brad Arthur as part of the process.
There is some upside as O’Neill prepares to take on the role. The Eels will have the new Western Sydney Stadium, one of the best sporting venues in the southern hemisphere, at their disposal from 2019. While the stadium won’t be available from round one, it’s hoped construction will be completed before Easter.
Mark O'Neill has been appointed as Parramatta's head of football.
Photo: Dallas KilponenThere is also a degree of certainty around the coach, at least in the short term. Parramatta officials have declared Arthur will be given the opportunity to see out the final year of his contract, although he will need early results to gain an extension.
O’Neill will bring with him the experience of playing more than 223 NRL games for Wests Tigers, including being a part of the 2005 premiership team, one which he captained for much of that season. He has also played in England and worked at the NRL as part of the match review committee.
After eight years at head office, O'Neill returned to the Tigers as their general manager of football. However, the 43-year-old resigned after being investigated for alleged misconduct in September 2016 after only six months in the job. The Eels spoke with a number of NRL and Tigers officials about his character before deciding he was a suitable fit. They also sought the counsel of Shane McCurry, the man who oversaw the football review and had previously worked at Wests Tigers, before rubber-stamping the appointment.
O’Neill’s top priority will be to ensure Arthur has the resources and the support necessary to begin the climb back up the ladder, as well as overhauling a roster that failed to fire this season. The former forward is away overseas on holidays, but is expected to begin duties as the players and staff return from their off-season break.
Parramatta are set to appoint former Wests Tigers premiership winner Mark O'Neill as the club's general manager of football.
As part of the club's restructure of the football department, the appointment of O'Neill, who played 223 first-grade games, is expected to be announced next week.
The club's external review into the football department has highlighted a need for a role to oversee the club's rugby league program, with O'Neill to work hand in hand with Arthur to develop programs and strategies to ensure a sustained period of success at the Eels.
O'Neill was a standout in a list of more than 80 candidates, which was cut down to 16 before the club decided on the nine they would take through to the interview process.
The 43-year-old had five interviews plus as a 90-minute discussion with coach Brad Arthur to share their plans and vision for the future as well as an opportunity to build a solid foundation to their relationship.
It is understood the Eels are organising for Arthur and O'Neill to embark on a road trip together to form a close bond that will hopefully ensure they are on the same path despite being in roles that have often clashed at other sporting organisations.
O'Neill was the frontrunner for the job before the remaining candidates underwent behavioural and cognitive psychometric testing, and is understood to have gone even further in front following the examinations.
The Eels photo nominated for Australian Life award
Parramatta 2018 season review
The Eels are well aware he was let go by the Wests Tigers in 2016 after an investigation into alleged misconduct while he was general manager.
However, chairman Sean McElduff spent two hours with him before the interview process to determine the values and characteristics of the former Tigers forward and left convinced he had learned from his mistake.
The character references the Eels used to gain an insight into O'Neill include Tigers chairwoman Marina Go and chief executive Justin Pascoe, NRL chief operating officer Nick Weeks, as well as Melbourne Storm football manager Frank Ponissi.
The Eels also spoke with Shane McCurry, a leadership expert who conducted part of the club's review of which the findings will be released next week, as well as having worked with O'Neill during his brief stint as Tigers general manager of football.
O'Neill is on a holiday with family in Fiji, but he met several members of the Eels board on Monday night for dinner and is expected to sign the contract when he returns in the hope of starting in early November.
Under the structure the Eels will implement, Arthur and O'Neill will report to chief executive Bernie Gurr.
O'Neill's first task will be to implement the recommendations of the review which will be outlined next week. He will be across development, pathways recruitment, retention and specialist coaching.
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Replies
JOKE!!!!
From Woolworths to the Eels head of football! Well at least he can head up the packing dept!
Extensive fcuking process....80 fcuking applicants....and they pick a fcuking Woolworths manager!!!!
Fcuking JOKE!!!!
Well he had a plumber as CEO
And an under 10s coach as head coach
So this makes sense
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