FergusO'Neill

He's been described as the "most feared bowler" in the Sheffield Shield and it's not Fergus O'Neill's express pace that has batters quivering in their boots, but rather his relentless accuracy and ability to nibble the ball both ways off the seam.

A former apprentice landscape gardener and talented under-18 Australian rules footballer, O'Neill has quickly become one of men's domestic cricket's most charismatic figures as well as one of its most damaging bowlers with both the red and white ball.

The right-armer's first 50 Shield wickets came at a remarkable average of around 21, and at the time, only three bowlers this century – Trent Copeland, Jackson Bird and Joel Paris – had reached the milestone quicker and with a lower average.

His breakout 2023-24 Shield campaign yielded a state-leading 40 wickets at 17.25 and saw him awarded the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year at the Australian Cricket Awards, while he also cleaned up at Victoria's state awards with the Billy Lawry Medal for their Sheffield Shield Player of the Year, Dean Jones Medal for One-Day Player of the Year and the player-voted John Scholes Award.

Mentored by former Australia-capped representatives Adam Dale and Cameron White at Melbourne Cricket Club, O'Neill broke into state ranks in 2021-22 after taking 57 wickets at 18.14 as a teenager over the preceding two Premier Cricket seasons.

He made his Shield debut at the beginning of the following summer, claiming Australian batter Travis Head as his first scalp.