Perth Glory has announced the signing of Socceroo cap #602 Brandon O'Neill on a three-year deal.
The midfielder returns to his first professional club after stints with Sydney FC, Pohang Steelers and Buriram United.
O'Neill, a junior with Western Australia NPL club ECU Joondalup, expressed his excitement about the prospect of returning home to the A-League side.
"I’ve been training with the youth team for the last couple of weeks, so I’d also like to thank PGFC Academy Coaches Ruben Zadkovich and Chris Coyne for allowing me into the inner sanctum of the club and enabling me to experience what I needed to experience to come to a decision," he told Perth Glory.
"The last two years in my own journey and my wife’s journey to become better people have led us back home and this decision was always going to be based not only on football, but on everything outside football as well.
"To be the best athlete I can be, I need to be the best person I can be and to be that best person, at 27 years of age, it felt like the right decision to come home after eight years away.
"Now I’m feeling pure excitement about the journey that we’re about to embark upon.
"Being home and understanding Perth football and the way everyone sees football in this wonderful State, I’m excited to help bring back a level of relatability not only to the club, but to everyone from the Members and fans to the coaching and admin staff.
"I’m so excited to hopefully in one, two, or three years, experience success at this club following a process-driven rather than an outcome-driven template."
Former Socceroo and Perth Glory Head Coach Richard Garcia is looking forward to re-introducing O'Neill into the fold.
"Brandon is a Perth boy who is a fantastic professional," he said.
"He’s represented the Socceroos, understands the intricacies of the A-League, knows what it takes to be a winner and will be an integral part of our building process.
"In addition, he has fantastic leadership skills on and off the park.
"We are trying to build a playing group made of up of good people who want to work hard for the club and Brandon is exactly that type of person."
The move arrives off the back of a challenging period for O'Neill, whose father Myles tragically passed away after a courageous cancer battle last month.
The Socceroos paid tribute to the family following their FIFA World Cup qualifying victory over Chinese Taipei in Kuwait City.
The 27-year-old also posted an emotional message on Instagram, expressing his gratitude to the football community and former club Sydney FC for their support in recent times.