He is the son of the former Test cricketer Norm O'Neill and athlete Gwen Wallace.
A right-handed batsman and leg spin bowler, O'Neill showed such promise in his youth that at 18 he became the youngest-ever Lancashire League professional, playing two seasons for Bacup in 1977 and 1978.
After three seasons, he moved to New South Wales where he remained for the rest of his career.
[3] After his retirement from playing, O'Neill became a batting coach and worked with New Zealand, New South Wales and Western Australia.
He was recruited by Middlesex as their first specialist batting coach for the 2010 season before returning to Australia on a permanent basis after three years.