By Vince Rugari
Moving his entire life to South Korea in the midst of a global pandemic was difficult enough. Then Socceroos midfielder Brandon O'Neill found out his father's lung cancer was terminal.
The former Sydney FC favourite likened the news to a "tornado" that ripped him apart, limb by limb.
Former Sydney FC midfielder Brandon O'Neill signed for Pohang Steelers in January but is yet to play a game.Credit: Getty
The last few months have been by far the toughest and most testing period of the 26-year-old's career, if not his entire life. But with the K-League now set to return in a fortnight's time, there's a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel for himself and his family.
O'Neill left the Sky Blues in mid-January to take up a deal with Pohang Steelers. He's still yet to play an official game – the season was due to start on February 29 but has been repeatedly postponed, with Korea among the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak.
On Friday, organisers confirmed the competition will finally begin on the weekend of May 8. O'Neill doesn't yet know who he'll be playing against, but he knows the world will be watching.
So, too, will his father, Myles, who was diagnosed with lung cancer last year. O'Neill was already struggling to deal with the culture shock in Korea, and then the added complications of COVID-19, when he found out his condition had worsened. Doctors had given him between 10 and 15 months to live.
With Pohang's blessing, he quickly came home to Perth, landing just before "all hell broke loose" with the virus in Australia.
"It was the best medicine I could have ever asked for – I saw my wife, saw my old boy, saw family ... and just really focused on what really mattered in life," O'Neill told The Sun-Herald.
"He's never really been the emotional type – always fun-loving, never taking himself too seriously. But I saw a completely different side of him and I had really good chats with him that I probably wouldn't have had if not for this situation. You've got to take the good in everything, don't you?"
O'Neill went back to Pohang, too, with his dad's blessing.
'He knows how much I've wanted this, and for him to see that, that gives him hope ... I know he'll fight until "he very last minute."
Brandon O'Neill on his father, Myles
"The thing that probably would have killed him quicker was me giving up the opportunity to chase my dreams here in Korea to see him and spend time with him," he said.
"These are his words, not mine – he would have woken up every day and he would have felt he was the reason behind that. He lives and breathes football. Him seeing me enjoying myself over here and doing what I can for Pohang, experiencing Asia and playing to the best of my ability ... he knows how much I've wanted this, and for him to see that, that gives him hope.
"And if I can give that to him, I know he'll fight and fight until the very last minute."
When O'Neill and his wife, Nicole, returned to Korea, they had to self-isolate for 14 days. When they got to their apartment, they discovered the club had practically turned it into a home gym. That made it a lot easier.
"We had a bike, we had kettlebells, dumbbells – everything we needed to stay fit and healthy," he said. "I can't speak highly enough about Pohang and what they've been able to do, it's been unbelievable."
Brandon O'Neill dives in for a tackle on Wellington's Ulises Davila last year.Credit: Getty Images
O'Neill's focus has been razor-sharp ever since. For the last two weeks, he's been back training with his teammates, cramming in double sessions six days a week to ensure he is ready to go for the season. Life in Korea is almost back to normal, he said, aside from the masks they have to wear whenever they go outside.
When he does finally make it onto the pitch for Pohang, his "old boy" Myles will be among millions tuning in. Only a handful of leagues kept playing through the COVID-19 crisis, with the K-League among the first to actually commit to resuming play on a specific date. Broadcasters across Europe are reportedly scurrying to buy the television rights.
"How cool's that?" O'Neill said. "For the things I want to achieve and do, this is perfect. I'm the sort of guy that's up and about, positive, gets everyone going and preaches a happy-go-lucky lifestyle. When I'm at my best, that's when I start to feel all them feelings. And I know my dad gets a lot of hope from that.
"If I tick the boxes every day, everyone around me is going to get pleasure from whatever I do over here, because it's such an exciting challenge."