The Chicago Hounds have secured another player selected in the Dispersal Draft. Mark O’Keeffe follows his Austin midfield partner Bryce Campbell in making the move north. It’s the fourth Major League Rugby team for the 28-year-old, having previously lined up for New York and ATL.
O’Keeffe has been one of the league’s most dynamic attacking players over the past two seasons and was a consensus pick as MLR’s best No13 in 2022. In 14 appearances for Austin he scored a team-high 8 tries, a mark bettered by only 6 players across the league.
Though most at home as an outside center, O’Keeffe is also effective on the wing and could feature at either position for the Hounds. Several other Austin exports will suit for Chicago, among them hooker Mason Koch, flanker Michael de Waal, and fullback Chris Mattina.