The pair went toe-to-toe on the bowling greens "hundreds of times".
Last weekend, O’Neill played in the the Rusty Mac Memorial Pairs Tournament in Oamaru.
The tournament, in its sixth year, honours Rusty, real name Russell and his son Craig, who died in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
O’Neill met Rusty in the "mid 1980s" when he started playing bowls in Timaru.
"Ever since then, whenever North Otago played South Canterbury, we had a lot of great battles over the years.
He described Rusty as a "great guy to play against".
"He was a left-hander and he would play some uncanny shots that you wouldn’t think he could get into."
The pair teamed up to win a national title in 2001 as part of a fours team made up on players from South Canterbury and Otago.
"That was good fun."
He has attended all six editions of the tournament.
"I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
"You can tell how well respected the guy was, and Craig, with the fantastic field that comes to it every year.
"I’m sure he would’ve loved to be here."
The tournament was won by Mitch Dunbar, of Fairlie, and Craig Tinker, of Invercargill.
Brent McEwan and Grant Stumbles, both of Dunedin, claimed the Craig McDonald Plate while Shane Elliott, of Edendale, and Dion Murphy, of Oamaru, won the consolation prize.
