Roos’ young gun now an old hand
WHEN he left Clarence five years ago, Jackson O’Brien was a young gun among some heavyhitting Roos.
The apprentice has become the master now that O’Brien, 26, is back at Rooland this season as one of the team’s primary ball-winners in a premium onball unit.
Clarence takes on Lauderdale in a TSL qualifying final blockbuster at Blundstone Arena today, and O’Brien is hoping to mark his 100th game in red and white with a victory that will put the Roos one win away from a berth in the grand final.
The highlight of his time at Clarence — back-toback TSL premierships in 2009 and 2010.
“I played with some quality players — Cameron Thurley, ‘Cat’ [Matt] Geappen, Brett Geappen, Gregg Sharman, Nick Davey — it was a great group,” O’Brien said. “Coming back, I feel like I’m that more mature-age player, so it is certainly a different role now but it’s one I’m enjoying.”
He left Clarence in 2012 to play for Central District, where one of his teammates was now Clarence teammate Ian Callinan, before “Wingnut” was drafted by the Adelaide Crows.
O’Brien moved to the Barossa Valley in 2013-14 to play for Angaston.
“They just contacted me,” he said. “It was an unbelievable place to live. I was only going for one year but they looked after me so well I ended up staying for two. I went back to Central District for two years after that.
“Centrals is a great club. They are a real professional club, coached really well. The professionalism and the training standards, things like that, are what I take away from that experience.”
Why back at Clarence? “No reason really. I just thought I might come back,” he said. “It has been great, especially to see the footy club back in the finals — that’s where we think we should be.
“We’ve had a little bit of success but the important stuff starts this weekend — finals footy.” Finals are about pressure. “Finals footy is a lot different to roster games. You step up the pressure a lot more and pressure wins finals,” he said. “I reckon whoever can step that up can go a long way.”