A Sandover medal, five best and fairest awards and 200 career WAFL games makes for an impressive resume for Rory O’Brien, who crossed the boundary line in a Peel Thunder jersey for the 100th time on Saturday.
O’Brien began his WAFL career with Peel Thunder in 2005, piling up 92 games and two Tuckey medals before making the shift to East Fremantle to play with his brother Brock in 2010.
The slick-moving ball magnet played with the Sharks for five years, where he was crowned the WAFL’s best player in 2013, winning the Sandover medal count with a whopping 55 votes.
He was welcomed back to the Thunder with open arms and has been a pivotal part of the league side in 2016.
Head coach Cam Shepherd praised O’Brien for his leadership, both on and off the field.
“He’s come in and been an absolutely outstanding leader for our group,” he said.
“He trains the house down and really leads by example by putting in strong performances each week.
“Rory’s been great for us to start the season.”
Shepherd said O’Brien was helping to mentor Peel’s brigade of young talent.
“His leadership and experience has been good for the entire side, but especially the young guys,” he said.
“He shows them how hard they have to work and what they can achieve with effort.”
O’Brien has been in stellar form for the Thunder in 2016, averaging 26.6 disposals and four tackles per game.
He collected another 26 disposals against South Fremantle on the weekend and took six marks.
The Thunder will again look to him for a solid contribution as they face West Coast Eagles affiliate club East Perth this weekend.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
