NAPPY DAYS
New dad Brad: Final wasn’t on my radar but now I can’t wait to play in it watched by my partner and daughter
BY
BRAD O’NEILL is living the dream after becoming a dad and clinching a shock Challenge Cup final appearance.
But even the 19-year-old Wigan hooker admits he can’t quite believe how dramatically his life has changed.
Just weeks ago, O’Neill was on loan at Championship side Newcastle and unsure when he’d get a Warriors chance.
Now he’s part of Wigan’s bid to win the cup for a recordextending 20th time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
And watching him, hopefully, will be his daughter Arabella who was born two days before Saturday’s semi-final thriller against St Helens.
O’Neill said: “The final wasn’t even on my radar. I was just playing reserve grade and a few games for Newcastle and working hard in training.”
That all changed when hooker Sam Powell copped a six-game ban for a crusher tackle and O’Neill hasn’t looked back since.
He’s impressed in his three games and is determined to finish his stand-in duties with a bang at Tottenham – the last game of Powell’s ban.
O’Neill said: “Sam is going through a tough time knowing he has missed out on the semi-final, and the final.
“But he has been absolutely fantastic and helped me massively over the last three games. He’s also helped me with becoming a dad. I am constantly learning off him.
“Hopefully my partner Alice and Arabella are okay to get to the final. That really would be special and something I’ve been dreaming about.”
O’Neill’s current happiness seems worlds away from the hard times he’s suffered in recent years.
In 2018 he suffered a lacerated liver and two broken ribs playing for England Youth against Wales, while the following year he suffered an ACL injury while playing for Wigan’s Academy.
He said: “Now I’m going to enjoy every chance I get.”
■ ZAK HARDAKER has been cleared by doctors to return to training after suffering a suspected seizure. Hardaker, who was released by Wigan for disciplinary reasons, could make his second Leeds debut at Salford on Sunday.