Club Captain Kevin O'Neill

Kevin has been playing his rugby with Salmo since 2009 and has been at the coal face of the 1st XV front row for 6 seasons now. A past pupil of De La Salle Churchtown, Kevin hails from Rathfarnham and is the perfect example of the "grow-your-own" philosophy that has served the club so well in recent years.

Outside of rugby, along with partner Megan, Kevin is proud father to twins Fíadh and Mila and is the brother of newly-appointed Ladies Captain, Leah (more details below).

He is a keen Manchester United supporter and enjoys coaching our younger players in his spare time. His favourite sports person is Katie Taylor with Asafo Aumua being his favourite rugby player.

Commenting on his appointment to the captaincy, Kevin said: "For me, it's been a long-time goal to be club captain. Since I joined in 2009 I've always captained the team I've played on, in both school and club. From when I first started playing senior rugby in 2016/17, I've always wanted my name up on the board as captain.

"I'm looking forward to the season ahead: we've added some good experienced heads to our young squad from last season so I'm hopeful we can take the extra step this season and start climbing the ladder back to where we belong as a club.

"I'm grateful to be leading the club into the 2022/3 season with another great club man in Barry Murphy as President. I have no doubt he'll be 100% behind our squad this season as he was last.

"I'd like to thank Ian Burke on behalf of myself and the whole squad for being a great captain and leader for us over the past two years. He set the standards high from day one of pre-season and he was a great role model for all our younger squad members."

Reflecting on his time at Salmo to date, Kevin said: "My favourite memory in the club would be winning the Spencer Cup at home against Ashbourne on a horrible, wet night. Both teams played as if we were playing in the middle of summer with the sun shining!

"My favourite thing about the club is the members; going into the bar after a game, regardless of any result or performance, you'll always be greeted with a smile and a 'well done'".