| Reilly O'Brien | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 O'Brien in September 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Reilly Mark O'Brien[1] | ||
| Nickname | ROB | ||
| Born | (1995-08-20)20 August 1995 (age 30) | ||
| Original team | Calder Cannons (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | No. 9,2014 rookie draft | ||
| Debut | Round 20, 2016,Adelaide vs.Brisbane Lions, atAdelaide Oval | ||
| Height | 202 cm (6 ft 8 in) | ||
| Weight | 102 kg (225 lb) | ||
| Position | Ruck | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Adelaide | ||
| Number | 43 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2015– | Adelaide | 146 (17) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2025 season
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Reilly Mark O'Brien (born 20 August 1995) is anAustralian rules footballer playing for theAdelaide Football Club in theAustralian Football League (AFL). AMalcolm Blight Medal winner in2020,[2] he is currently Adelaide's first-choiceruckman.
O'Brien participated in theAuskick programs at Flemington Primary School inFlemington, Victoria, and atMoonee Valley Football Club.[3] He played his junior representative football with theCalder Cannons in theTAC Cup. He grew up in theMelbourne suburb ofAscot Vale.[4]
O'Brien was drafted by the Adelaide Football Club with their first selection and ninth overall in the2014 rookie draft.[5]
Reilly O'Brien made his debut in the 138-point win against theBrisbane Lions in round 20, 2016, at theAdelaide Oval.[6] He didn't play much football between 2016 and 2019, but broke into the side afterSam Jacobs sustained an injury.[7] Jacobs was traded toGreater Western Sydney at the end of the2019 AFL season, leaving O'Brien as Adelaide's primaryruckman going into the2020 AFL season.[8]
O'Brien faced controversy when he accidentallytweeted thatWest Coast ruckmanNic Naitanui is "lazy and unfit", attributing the mistake to a broken smartphone.[9] Naitanui responded jestfully by gifting O'Brien a new phone after that weekend's game between their clubs.[10] A stand-out in Adelaide's least successful season in their history, O'Brien thrived at every opportunity, winning theMalcolm Blight Medal in just his first season as the primary ruck. His fantastic form was rewarded with a contract extension to keep him at Adelaide until 2025.[2]
In2023, withRiley Thilthorpe as his backup ruckman, O'Brien led the competition for hit-outs.[11] Partway through2024, the struggling Crows chose to drop O'Brien to theSANFL in favour ofKieran Strachan in an attempt to revive the club's season.[12] O'Brien returned after two games on the sidelines, and he still led the competition for hit-outs and average hit-outs by the conclusion of the season.
Outside of football, O’Brien has completed a medical science degree atFlinders University. He has since undertaken post graduate study, both in business administration and public health throughTorrens University.[13] He has also completed postgraduate study in neuroscience throughKing’s College.[14] O’Brien graduated from high school with an ATAR of 99.75.[15]
In2024, O'Brien won the league-wideJim Stynes Community Leadership Award for his advocacy and community work for mental health in South Australia.[16][17] After achieving automatic eligibility by playing 100 games over 10 years, O'Brien was granted Life Membership with the Adelaide Football Club.[18]
Updated to the end of the 2025 season.[19]
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks | H/O | Hit-outs |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | H/O | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | H/O | |||||
| 2015 | Adelaide | 43[citation needed] | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 2016 | Adelaide | 43 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 47 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 4.5 | 9.5 | 14.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 23.5 | 0 |
| 2017 | Adelaide | 43[citation needed] | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 2018 | Adelaide | 43[citation needed] | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 2019 | Adelaide | 43 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 126 | 150 | 276 | 60 | 77 | 597 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 7.0 | 8.3 | 15.3 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 33.2 | 3 |
| 2020[a] | Adelaide | 43 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 107 | 125 | 232 | 64 | 68 | 462 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 6.3 | 7.4 | 13.6 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 27.2 | 4 |
| 2021 | Adelaide | 43 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 138 | 156 | 294 | 71 | 55 | 585 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 6.9 | 7.8 | 14.7 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 29.3 | 5 |
| 2022 | Adelaide | 43 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 124 | 141 | 265 | 53 | 79 | 738 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 6.2 | 7.1 | 13.3 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 36.9 | 2 |
| 2023 | Adelaide | 43 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 117 | 169 | 286 | 66 | 72 | 888† | 0.2 | 0.2 | 5.1 | 7.3 | 12.4 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 38.6 | 3 |
| 2024 | Adelaide | 43 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 132 | 110 | 242 | 49 | 77 | 898† | 0.1 | 0.1 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 11.5 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 42.8 | 2 |
| 2025 | Adelaide | 43 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 159 | 141 | 300 | 75 | 88 | 972 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 6.4 | 5.6 | 12.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 38.9 | 5 |
| Career | 146 | 17 | 21 | 912 | 1011 | 1923 | 442 | 522 | 5187 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 6.2 | 6.9 | 13.2 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 35.5 | 24 | ||
Notes
