The unstoppable art of Brennan O’Neill

There are many ways to describe Brennan O’Neill on the lacrosse field. Goliath. Dominant. Overwhelming. But one word captures the unique magic of Denver’s talismanic goal-scorer best: artist.

His stick skills are the stuff of legend. He’s been the subject of magazine features and YouTube mixtapes since he was in middle school.

“He’s displayed since he was like 12 years old that he’s one of the most skilled players to ever pick up a stick,” Pat Kavanagh said.

He’s drawn comparisons to the most skilled legends of the game, most notably Outlaws great John Grant Jr. Grant, the second-leading scorer in pro lacrosse history, had a supernatural ability with the ball in his stick, a trait O’Neill shares.

“I had the pleasure of playing with John Grant Jr., and that was John Grant Jr.-esque,” Denver head coach Tim Soudan said after one of O’Neill’s eye-popping performances.

The last three weeks have been the ultimate canvas for O’Neill to paint some of the best highlights of the season, all while leading the surging Outlaws to the top spot in the Western Conference.

The lacrosse ecosystem descended on Kansas City three weeks ago with a cavalry of the game’s best. With the sport and a national television audience watching the Lexus All-Star Game, one player’s game stole the day: O’Neill.

An All-Star Game is the perfect opportunity to showcase flair, but the magic of watching O’Neill play lacrosse is that he brings that same creativity to winning games in the regular season.

Against Maryland, O’Neill posted numbers befitting one of the league’s cornerstone superstars. He posted a season-high six points (3G, 1T, 2A) as the Outlaws trounced the Whipsnakes 13-6.

The highlight of the night came when O’Neill went right at the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Matt Dunn. Dunn has been a problem for O’Neill in his career, holding him quiet in Denver’s playoff elimination a year ago.

Elite, physical defenders can disrupt O’Neill’s rhythm and get the ball out of his stick. With the help of a rejected pick from Ryan Terefenko, O’Neill took on Dunn with one of the smoothest dodges of the season.

It’s the prototypical O’Neill goal. Graceful feet, fluid stick and a hammer with his left hand. If he can do this to Dunn, he can do it to anyone.

The highlight reel carried on into a matchup with the Boston Cannons, in which O’Neill added four more goals to his season tally, giving him 16 scoring points, tied for second-most in the league behind Kavanagh’s 17.

Against another Defensive Player of the Year, Garrett Epple, O’Neill attacked relentlessly to the inside. With acres of space to attack, he finished past a slide and the goalie in the most audacious way possible.

But O’Neill being the human highlight reel that he is, that somehow wouldn’t be his best goal of the day.

Kavanagh hunted for an open O’Neill streaking for the crease, but the pass was a little off. With an unorthodox catch, he needed an unorthodox finish. The league’s best artist painted his masterwork with a split second to think.

The best part of it all is that he’s not always trying to be a showman. In this instance, the pass directed his stick and body, and his brain and hands found a way to still put the ball in the back of the goal.

That’s the artistry of Brennan O’Neill. His stick is an extension of himself, and his ability to handle the ball is a sixth sense. He glides like a gazelle off the dodge and can fire a never-ending catalog of releases at helpless goalies.

It’s not showmanship, it’s just how Brennan plays the game. And anytime he’s on your screen, watch the artist do his work.