{"id":304236,"date":"2025-11-23T21:18:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T21:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/304236\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T21:18:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T21:18:10","slug":"bulldogs-playmaker-lands-top-30-upgrade-for-2026-season-nrl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/304236\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulldogs playmaker lands Top 30 upgrade for 2026 season – NRL News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Canterbury Bulldogs<\/a> 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<\/a> season.<\/p>\n

One of six players on the club’s development list during this year’s campaign, Zero Tackle\u00a0understands that young playmaker Joseph O’Neill<\/a> has earned a contract upgrade, which will see him spend next season as a member of the side’s Top 30 roster.<\/p>\n

A former captain of the club’s Under-21s Jersey Flegg Cup<\/a> team, the halfback was close to making his NRL<\/a> debut this season after impressive performances in the NSW Cup<\/a> and NRL<\/a> Pre-Season Challenge.<\/p>\n

The move to upgrade O’Neill comes after strong back-to-back campaigns in the NSW Cup<\/a> competition.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n


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