An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he previously played his club football in Australia with National Rugby League teams the Balmain Tigers, Wests Tigers, North Queensland Cowboys and the Sydney Roosters, with whom he featured in the club's 13th premiership.

Born in Liverpool on 22 October 1980[3] and raised in Manyana, New South Wales, O'Donnell attended Ulladulla High School playing for the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs in the Group 7 Rugby League from 1990 to 1996.

The following year O'Donnell played at second row in the North Queensland Cowboys' first ever Grand Final in 2005 which they lost to his former club, the Wests Tigers.

[15] Later that month, he was named in the 17 man squad to represent New South Wales in the opening State of Origin match on 3 June 2009, in Melbourne.

In July 2010, it was announced that O'Donnell had signed a four-year deal to play for the Super League team the Huddersfield Giants.

[17] During his final NRL season he was selected to play the NRL All Stars Game for the first and only time in his career and was banned for three weeks following an ugly incident in Game II of the 2010 State of Origin series where he dangerously tackled Queensland's Darius Boyd and appeared to headbutt Dave Taylor.

He was selected for the Exiles squad for the Rugby League International Origin Match against England at Headingley on 10 June 2011.

O'Donnell was charged with intimidation, causing malicious damage, assaulting a female senior constable in the execution of her duty and resisting arrest.