DOB Footy Scrapbook

Daryl O'Brien

Daryl E. O'Brien (NORTH) - 1960, 1962-69, 135 games, 8 goals. (b.10 Sep 1941, 179cms, 81.5kgs).
Recruited from West Coburg, O'Brien was originally a half-forward flanker who found his niche as a half-back when shifted there by Alan Killigrew. He played close and tight. When he couldn't get a game in 1961 he wanted a clearance to Footscray, but fortunately for the Roos he stayed on and became a stalwart on the backline.

...from The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers - Every AFL/VFL Player Since 1897
by Russell Holmesby & Jim Main (Information Australia, Melbourne 1998)

My Dad

My dad, Daryl O'Brien - DOB as I refer to him here, was a regular selection in North Melbourne side in the mid and late 60s. Playing most of his games as a tagger on the unglamorous half-back line, he wasn't a football superstar - even the newspapers of the time use terms like "under-rated" and "underestimated"- but many of opponents that are better-known today (Dean, Barassi, Skilton, Tuddenham, Vagg, Northey, Baldock, Somerville) rated him as one of their toughest opponents. DOB was runner-up to Noel Tealsdale in North's Best and Fairest in 1964 and represented Australia in the Galahs tour of 1968.

I was only four years old when DOB retired, so I don't remember him playing for the Kangaroos and he's not one to dwell on past glories. Fortunately, my Grandmother kept a scrapbook of his career, pasting in news clippings and photo highlights. When we were kids, my brother, sister and I loved poring over it. The scrapbook's getting a little faded and tatty now, so I've used the web to do some high-tech preservation. I hope you like it!

Snippets from the DOB Scrapbook

My grandmother Kathleen - DOB's proud mum - started started a scrapbook when her son began his football career with the Roos.

Click on her wonderful hand-drawn scrapbook cover for a bit of a delve into DOB's career.

I'd like to hear what you think of my site, so send me an email! If you actually saw my dad play, I'd love to hear about that too!

Original material is © 1999 Michael O'Brien. Where possible I have identified the source of excerpts and photographs in the DOB scrapbook; unfortunately, my grandmother might have been her son's biggest fan, but she was no diligent archivist and most clippings aren't even dated, let alone identified. For more information, contact me at mrmob@ozemail.com.au

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