'The most enjoyable footy I've played': O'Brien eyeing more success with Pinjarra

In that time he won two best and fairest awards with the Sharks (2014, 2015), and was the club's leading goal kicker on three separate occasions (2011, 2012, 2015).

He also spent three years on Fremantle's list in the AFL, making three appearances at the top level.

But despite his illustrious tenure in the state league, the 30-year-old is now playing what he labelled "the most enjoyable footy of his life" back at his local Pinjarra Tigers.

O'Brien returned to his club of origin midway through last season, reuniting with brothers Mackenzie, Rory and Josh.

The quartet went on to win a flag together with the Tigers, a day Brock says he'll never forget.

"Before that, we'd never really had the chance to play all together in the one team," he said.

"We were in different age brackets in juniors and then we were in different leagues, so to get the chance to come back and play with the three of them before my time in footy is done was a big thing for me.

"It's the most enjoyable footy I've ever played."

Since then Rory's moved on to play for Carey Park in the South West Football League, and Josh has stepped away from the local level with work commitments.

But Brock and Mackenzie remain at Pinjarra, with the duo keen to spur the Tigers on to a third straight premiership.

The club lost more than half of its 2018 flag-winning side over the off-season, but has gone undaunted on their way to a perfect 4-0 start with wins over fellow contenders Baldivis and Rockingham.

Brock was instrumental in their most recent victory over what was a league-leading Rams outfit, booting five goals after shifting to the forward line despite dealing with a nasty cork.

But despite the blistering individual performances the Tigers often get from their star players, Brock's praise was directed squarely at the several young players that have cracked into the league side this season.

"Last year we just had a stacked team that was super talented, but this year we're playing the best team footy we've played in my time [at Pinjarra]," he said.

"A lot of it is the young guys that have stepped into the team and not missed a beat.

"When you lose 12-13 premiership players you need to lean on the guys coming through, and they've been unbelievable.

"You can see why they won a colts flag last year and just the way they go about their footy, it's like they've been playing at the senior level for years."

The Tigers will be looking to keep that hot start rolling when they clash with South Mandurah this Saturday at Sir Ross McLarty Oval, 4.30pm.