- Mark O’Meley is reportedly doing ‘OK’ after the operation
- The news was revealed by former team-mate Willie Mason
Former Bulldogs and New South Wales prop Mark O’Meley reportedly had to be ‘resuscitated’ by doctors after he ‘went into cardiac arrest’ during an operation on his back but is reportedly doing ‘OK’.
The news was revealed by his former Bulldogs team-mate Willie Mason while speaking on his Levels podcast with Justin Horo. Mason sent his well-wishes to his old team-mate and his family during the podcast.
Affectionately nicknamed ‘the Ogre’, O’Meley, 43, enjoyed a distinguished playing career in rugby league, winning the premiership in 2004 with Canterbury alongside Mason.
‘Big Ogre [O’Meley] just called me,’ Mason said during the latest episode of the Levels podcast.
‘Can I say something about Ogre? Shout out to Ogre, he had an operation on his back and he went into cardiac arrest.
‘I’m only saying this as Sandy [O’Meley’s partner] put it on Facebook. He’s OK.
‘But shout out to Big Ogre and the family. I love you mate. And yeah it was scary when he wrote the message when he found out yesterday.
‘He was on the bed and they had to resuscitate him. Scary bro. At least he’s alright. Big man, take care of yourself mate.’
‘Thoughts are with his family,’ Horo added.
O’Meley played for the Roosters before moving to the UK to play for Hull FC. He would announce he was hanging up his boots in 2014, but would come back out of retirement one year later.
One of the NRL’s toughest players, O’Meley also represented Australia 15 times, scoring three tries for the Kangaroos, notably scoring on debut.
Known for his rampaging runs and brutal physicality, O’Meley is widely respected around the rugby league community for his achievements in the game, having began his career with the North Sydney Bears back in 1999.
He would also enjoy spells with the Northern Eagles and the Sydney Roosters, while making 110 appearances for the Bulldogs, scoring 16 tries.
In recent years, he and Mason were seen in 2019 training some of New South Wales’ emerging young forward talents at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence. He would also take up a role in Adam O’Brien’s coaching team with the Newcastle Knights.
Mason and O’Meley appear good friends as well as former team-mates, with Mason recounting calling the ex-Bulldogs prop one of his ‘best mates’ and revealed he lived with him while both players were playing in the Super League.
Mason had in fact joined Hull KR, while O’Meley had been playing for Hull FC.
‘I’m living with Ogre (Mark O’Meley), and Craig Fitzgibbon and Willie Manu were over there who I love,’ he had previously said on his Levels podcast.
‘They were playing for FC. Some of my best mates but we couldn’t hang out because of the rivalry! I only knew Clint Newton a little bit. Newton had been there three or four years.
‘I was living with Ogre and we got seen coming out of casinos at 6am or whatever, and they hated us being together. But we were all best mates.
‘KR de-registered me. They could have de-registered Joel Clinton or Dobson, but because they were waiting for that Tongan passport. I said to them that it could take up to a year. Do you expect me to wait around and not even play?’
