Australian rugby league footballer
Kai O'Donnell Born (1999-02-21 ) 21 February 1999 (age 25) Brisbane, Queensland , AustraliaHeight 181 cm (5 ft 11 in) Weight 98 kg (15 st 6 lb) Position Second-row , Lock
As of 5 January 2023
Kai O'Donnell (born 21 February 1999) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Leigh Leopards in the Betfred Super League .
Background
Born in Brisbane, Queensland , O'Donnell played his junior rugby league for the Proserpine Brahmans and attended Proserpine State High School before being signed by the Gold Coast Titans .[ 2] While on the Gold Coast , he attended Palm Beach Currumbin State High School .[ 3]
Playing career
In 2015, O'Donnell played for the Mackay Cutters Cyril Connell Cup side.[ 4] In 2017, he played for the Burleigh Bears Mal Meninga Cup side and moved up to their Hastings Deering Colts side in 2018.[ 5] Later in 2018, O'Donnell made his debut for the Bears' Queensland Cup side.[ 6]
In February 2019, O'Donnell came off the bench in the Gold Coast Titans pre-season trial loss to the North Queensland Cowboys .[ 7] In April 2019, he made a mid-season move to the Canberra Raiders , joining their Jersey Flegg Cup side and starting at second-row in their Grand Final loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs .[ 8]
2020
In February, O'Donnell was a member of the Raiders' NRL Nines squad.[ 9]
In round 9 of the 2020 NRL season , O'Donnell made his NRL debut for Canberra against the Melbourne Storm .[ 10]
In round 20, he scored his first try in the top grade during a 38-28 victory over Cronulla-Sutherland at Kogarah Oval .[ 11]
2022
On 8 April, O'Donnell signed a contract to join RFL Championship side Leigh .[ 12]
2023
In the 2023 Challenge Cup quarter-final, O'Donnell was sent off for a spear tackle in Leigh's 34-14 victory over York RLFC .[ 13]
On 20 June, O'Donnell was given a six-game ban by the RFL over the incident.[ 14]
O'Donnell played 22 games for Leigh in the 2023 Super League season as the club finished fifth on the table and qualified for the playoffs.[ 15]
2024
He was highly praised by head coach Adrian Lam after scoring four tries in Leigh's 42-12 victory over Hull FC [ 16]
References
External links