John McDonell (rugby league)

John McDonell (born 13 May 1943) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s.

John McDonell

Personal information
Full name	John McDonell
Born	(1943-05-13) 13 May 1943 Berry, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Position	Second-row, Lock, Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1965–67 Manly Warringah 27 2 0 0 6 1968–72 North Sydney 100 15 0 2 49 1973–74 Canterbury Baulldogs 37 7 0 0 21 Total 164 24 0 2 76

Playing career

McDonell began his career with Northern Beaches club Manly in 1965 and spent three seasons with them before joining arch rivals North Sydney in 1968. McDonell spent five seasons with North Sydney but the club never qualified for the finals in his time there. In 1973, McDonell became the captain of Canterbury-Bankstown and in 1974 the club reached the grand final against Eastern Suburbs. The first half of the match was a tight affair with Easts leading Canterbury 7–4 at the break before storming home in the second half to win 19–4. This would be McDonell's last ever game and he retired following the grand final defeat.