Daryl O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Daryl Ernest O'Brien is a former Australian rules footballer who played 135 games for the North Melbourne Kangaroos during the 1960s.
A tenacious utility player who often started on the half-back flank, he was also considered one of the toughest and most effective "taggers" of the period and one of the hardest men to beat one-on-one in the league. Indeed, O'Brien's tagging role embodied a who's who
of top players of that era, including Ron Barassi
, Bobby Skilton, Peter Hudson
, Alex Jesaulenko
, Peter Crimmins
, Darrel Baldock
, Roger Dean
, John Sharrock
, Des Tuddenham
, Ted Whitten
and John Northey
, to name a few.
Recruited from West Coburg
, O'Brien captained North Melbourne's Under 19 side for two years before playing a handful of senior games as half-forward flanker in the 1960 season. He was dropped to the reserves for the whole of 1961, but was invited to train by both Essendon
and Footscray
, and shortly before the start of the 1962 season he actually formally requested a clearance to Footscray. However, O'Brien was retained in the North Melbourne line-up and reinvented himself as a half-back flanker where he excelled, justifying North's decision to refuse the transfer. He became a stalwart in the Kangaroo side for the next eight seasons, and in 1964 was runner-up to Noel Teasdale
in the Syd Barker Medal
, North Melbourne's Best and Fairest
award.
In 1968, O'Brien was selected to represent Australia
as part of the Australian Football World Tour
, the second of the international rules football
series against Ireland
.
In 1970, O'Brien joined VFA
team Brunswick
, and was appointed the dual role of captain-coach at the end of the 1971 season. He led the side to a 2nd Division Grand Final appearance in 1973, after which he announced his playing days were over.
O'Brien went on to serve in the North Melbourne Match Committee as a team selector under premiership coach Ron Barassi
.
While playing senior football, O'Brien studied to become a licensed realtor and auctioneer, eventually becoming a director and later partner of a real estate business in Melbourne
, Victoria. He is now retired and lives in Gowanbrae, Victoria.
A tenacious utility player who often started on the half-back flank, he was also considered one of the toughest and most effective "taggers" of the period and one of the hardest men to beat one-on-one in the league. Indeed, O'Brien's tagging role embodied a who's who
Who's Who
Who's Who is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biographical information on a particular group of people...
of top players of that era, including Ron Barassi
Ron Barassi
Ronald Dale Barassi, Jr AM is a former Australian rules football player and coach. During a long and decorated career, Barassi has been one of the most important figures in the history of Australian football. His father, Ron Barassi, Sr., was the first Australian footballer killed at Tobruk during...
, Bobby Skilton, Peter Hudson
Peter Hudson
Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....
, Alex Jesaulenko
Alex Jesaulenko
Alex 'Jezza' Jesaulenko MBE is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is regarded as one of the game's greatest-ever players and is an official Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame...
, Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins was a rover for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL, playing 176 games and kicking 231 goals from 1966 to 1975. He was an inspirational player and captain from 1974 who wore number 5. He was a member of the Hawks' 1971 premiership team.At the completion of the 1974 VFL season...
, Darrel Baldock
Darrel Baldock
Darrel John Baldock , commonly nicknamed "The Doc" and "Mr Magic", was an Australian rules football player and state politician who in 1966 was the first captain of a premiership-winning St Kilda Football Club. Baldock was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame as a "Legend"...
, Roger Dean
Roger Dean (Australian rules footballer)
Roger Edward Dean was an Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL between 1957 and 1973 for the Richmond Football Club. Dean was one of the last elite Australian footballers born and bred in the local suburb for which he played...
, John Sharrock
John Sharrock
John Sharrock is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the VFL during the 1960s.Sharrock played most of his career as a half forward flanker and was a premiership player in his first season at Geelong, in 1963. He spent a lot of 1966 at fullback and excelled, finishing...
, Des Tuddenham
Des Tuddenham
Desmond Vincent Tuddenham is a former Australian rules footballer who played during the 1960s and 1970s. He was a half forward flanker....
, Ted Whitten
Ted Whitten
Edward James "EJ" Whitten was an Australian rules football player and media personality. He played a then-record 321 Victorian Football League games for the Footscray Football Club between 1951 and 1970...
and John Northey
John Northey
John "Swooper" Northey is a former Australian rules football player and coach. He played from 1963 to 1970 with the Richmond Football Club....
, to name a few.
Recruited from West Coburg
West Coburg Football Club
The West Coburg Football Club is an Australian rules football club located 8 km north west of Melbourne in the suburb of Coburg. The club was founded in 1927, and fields seniors and juniors in the Essendon District Football League....
, O'Brien captained North Melbourne's Under 19 side for two years before playing a handful of senior games as half-forward flanker in the 1960 season. He was dropped to the reserves for the whole of 1961, but was invited to train by both Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and Footscray
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
, and shortly before the start of the 1962 season he actually formally requested a clearance to Footscray. However, O'Brien was retained in the North Melbourne line-up and reinvented himself as a half-back flanker where he excelled, justifying North's decision to refuse the transfer. He became a stalwart in the Kangaroo side for the next eight seasons, and in 1964 was runner-up to Noel Teasdale
Noel Teasdale
Noel Teasdale is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League.Originally from Daylesford, Teasdale made his debut with the North Melbourne Football Club in 1956 playing as a ruckman and for a period, a full-back.Teasdale was noted for his tough, uncompromising...
in the Syd Barker Medal
Syd Barker Medal
The Syd Barker Medal is awarded to the North Melbourne Football Club player who has been judged the best and fairest of the footy season. The award has been given out continuously since 1937. Before then it was known as the Syd Barker Memorial Trophy....
, North Melbourne's Best and Fairest
Best and Fairest
Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
award.
In 1968, O'Brien was selected to represent Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as part of the Australian Football World Tour
Australian Football World Tour
The Australian Football World Tour was a series of International Rules Football matches, organised by football sports broadcaster and former VFL umpire Harry Beitzel in 1967 and 1968.-First tour:...
, the second of the international rules football
International rules football
International rules football is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules football players and Gaelic football players....
series against Ireland
Ireland international rules football team
The Ireland International rules football team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football, a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football...
.
In 1970, O'Brien joined VFA
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
team Brunswick
Brunswick Football Club
Brunswick Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the VFA from 1897 until 1990. They were originally nicknamed the Pottery Workers before being renamed the Magpies and were based in Brunswick, Victoria. The club wore black and white guernseys...
, and was appointed the dual role of captain-coach at the end of the 1971 season. He led the side to a 2nd Division Grand Final appearance in 1973, after which he announced his playing days were over.
O'Brien went on to serve in the North Melbourne Match Committee as a team selector under premiership coach Ron Barassi
Ron Barassi
Ronald Dale Barassi, Jr AM is a former Australian rules football player and coach. During a long and decorated career, Barassi has been one of the most important figures in the history of Australian football. His father, Ron Barassi, Sr., was the first Australian footballer killed at Tobruk during...
.
While playing senior football, O'Brien studied to become a licensed realtor and auctioneer, eventually becoming a director and later partner of a real estate business in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria. He is now retired and lives in Gowanbrae, Victoria.
External links
- Daryl O'Brien Playing Statistics
- Daryl O'Brien player bio (and scan of 1968 Scanlen's bubblegumBubblegumBubblegum is a type of elastic chewing gum, designed to be blown out of the mouth as a bubble.-History:In 1928, Walter Diemer, an accountant for the Fleer Chewing Gum Company in Philadelphia, was experimenting with new gum recipes. One recipe was found to be less sticky than regular chewing gum,...
"footy card"Trading cardA trading card is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing and a short description of the picture, along with other text...
)