Crows’ new No. 1 big man Reilly O’Brien told to play like GWS wrecking ball Shane Mumford
Adelaide Crows lead ruckman Reilly O’Brien is aiming to be more physical next season as he takes over as the team’s permanent number one big man.
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Adelaide’s new No. 1 ruckman Reilly O’Brien has been told to take a leaf out of GWS wrecking ball Shane Mumford’s playbook and be more physical next season.
Finally Adelaide’s main man after spending five years learning his trade under mainstay Sam Jacobs, O’Brien – already a physical ruckman – has been given licence by new coach Matthew Nicks to use his 201cm, 98kg frame to create more openings for his midfield teammates.
“We’ve had some good chats about what he wants from me as a ruckman and one of the things he’s talking about is being pretty physical around the ground, which I try to do already,’’ O’Brien said.
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“He’s come from GWS where they had Mumford, who has been a pretty physical player, and he wants me to emulate that, put my body in the way and look after our midfielders.’’
An upbeat O’Brien said he was supercharged to carry out Nicks’ instructions after finally replacing long-time lead ruckman Jacobs, who has joined the Giants.
After replacing an injured Jacobs in the Adelaide line-up this year, O’Brien said he was “hungry’’ to make the most of his long-awaited opportunity and aiming to play every game in 2020.
He revealed he is undertaking two hours of injury prevention work a day in a bid to stay on the park and carry the club’s ruckload.
“One of my goals is to not miss a game next year, I’m hungry to do that, so I am doing everything I can to make sure the body is sound and that I am really fit going into the season,’’ O’Brien, 24, said.
“I’d do a couple of hours of stuff a day, I am very diligent with that. There’s a mountain-load of trunk work, through the hips, and making sure I keep on top of my massaging, recovery and strength work, along with stretching and yoga.
“There’s a wide range of things to try to keep on top of it. Being a big man, my yoga is a bit of a comedy show – my yoga teacher says my anatomy is a bit off – but I do what I can, stretch to my limits.’’
O’Brien has become arguably Adelaide’s most important player after his long-time mentor Jacobs joined the Giants in the trade period after losing his lead ruck role.
O’Brien sat behind Jacobs in the ruck pecking order until this year when he replaced the 201-game veteran in round three when the 31-year-old underwent knee surgery.
He played 18 games for the season after managing just two (both in 2016) prior to this year.
The 201cm, 98kg O’Brien, whose strength and running ability allowed him to virtually play as another midfielder, averaged 15 disposals, including 10 contested possessions, four tackles, four clearances and 33 hit-outs in a breakout campaign.
O’Brien, who this year signed a two-year contract extension tying him to the club until the end of 2021, wants to take his game to an even higher level next year and prove to the Crows that there is life after Jacobs.
“I’ve obviously been chasing big ‘Sauce’ (Jacobs) for a few years and trying to knock him off at training, it’s been an ongoing challenge for years, so with him not here it is different,’’ he said.
“But I loved getting the opportunity this year to play some regular footy and I want to elevate my game to another level next year and hopefully be one of the best ruckmen in the competition.
“That means improving my centre bounce work and being able to go forward and hit the scoreboard because the best ruckmen in the comp can do that.’’
While O’Brien, who illustrated his fitness by finishing fourth in the club’s 2km time trial behind elite runners Chayce Jones, Ned McHenry and Jake Kelly, plans to be Adelaide’s “main man’’ next season, he rates his ruck sidekicks, despite the jury being out on new recruit Billy Frampton (from Port Adelaide), Kieran Strachan and Elliott Himmelberg’s ruck capabilities.
“I played against Billy in the SANFL a lot and he is more than capable of playing ruck,’’ he said.
“We are doing a lot of ruck work together at training and he is a good player and the other two also are more than capable of playing a (ruck) role.’’