Gary O'Donnell
Personal information
Full name Gary O'Donnell
Date of birth (1965-05-12) 12 May 1965
Original team(s) North Ringwood (EFL)
Height 181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 85 kg (187 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1987–1998 Essendon 243 (88)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
Victoria 9
Coaching career3
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
2006 Essendon 1 (0–0–1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1998.
3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2006.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Gary O'Donnell (born 12 May 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer who played 243 games for the Essendon Football Club between 1987 and 1998.[1] He previously served as the assistant coach in the role Offensive Strategy Coach at the Brisbane Lions.[2]

Family

O'Donnell is the son of Bev and Graeme O'Donnell. He is a member of a prominent Australian rules football family. O'Donnell's paternal grandmother, Eileen O'Donnell (née Rankin) was the daughter of Teddy Rankin and the sister of Bert, Cliff and Doug Rankin. All four were prominent players with Geelong. His father were also a notable player. His sister, Shelley O'Donnell, is a former Australia netball international.[3][4][5]

Playing career

O’Donnell was a junior teammate of Paul Salmon at North Ringwood where they won 4 premierships in succession from 1977 up to the under 16s in 1980. Prior to the introduction of the player draft, Ringwood was part of Essendon’s recruitment zone.

Essendon Football Club

O’Donnell’s start at VFL football didn't come easy: he played nearly 50 reserve grade matches before being selected to make his debut in the last game of the 1987 season. From there he held down a steady place in the side, first as a defender, then later developing into a tagging midfielder who was capable of getting the football as well as keeping an opposition player quiet. At his peak, O'Donnell was regarded as one of the most consistent players in the competition, with commentators often stating that he "never plays a bad game".[6][7]

O'Donnell played 243 games from 1987 to 1998, leading the Bombers as captain for two seasons in a decorated career in the red and black. Known as 'Mr Reliable', he was a vital part of Essendon's 1993 premiership side, a year which also saw him win the Crichton Medal as the Bombers' best and fairest.[8]

Underlining this consistency is his record in the club best-and-fairest: O'Donnell finished in the top three six years in a row, winning it in 1993, a premiership year for the Bombers. He also won the Michael Tuck Medal in 1994 as the best player in the pre-season grand final. Additionally, O'Donnell represented Victoria nine times in state of origin football.

O'Donnell was always regarded as one of the most astute thinkers in the game, and was rewarded with the captaincy for the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

Coaching career

Brisbane Lions

He reputation was further enhanced when after his retirement from his playing career, he took up an assistant coaching role with the Brisbane Lions in 1999 under senior coach Leigh Matthews.[9] His tactical insight was a key part of the Lions' rise up the ladder, culminating in three premierships from 2001 to 2003.[10]

Essendon Football Club

After Brisbane's grand final loss in 2004, Gary O'Donnell announced that he would be returning to Essendon in 2005 as an assistant coach under senior coach Kevin Sheedy.[11] On 22 July 2006, in Round 16, 2006, O'Donnell coached Essendon as caretaker interim senior coach for one game due to the absence of regular senior coach Kevin Sheedy, who injured his shoulder in a collision with defender Dean Solomon at training.[12][13] Essendon drew with long-time rivals Carlton to end its then-record 14-match losing streak dating back to round two.

Some people had speculated that O'Donnell's return to Essendon indicated that he was the preferred replacement for Sheedy upon the latter's retirement, but O'Donnell denied this, and on 27 September 2007 it was announced that Matthew Knights would be Sheedy's successor. O'Donnell remained as an assistant coach at Essendon Football Club until the end of the 2010 season.[14][15]

Return to Brisbane Lions

In October 2010, O'Donnell returned to the Brisbane Lions as an assistant coach under senior coach Michael Voss.[16][17] O'Donnell left the Brisbane Lions at the end of the 2016 season.[18]

Statistics

Playing statistics

[19]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1987 Essendon 44100437130.00.04.03.07.01.03.00
1988 Essendon 44205119610930541350.30.19.85.515.32.11.80
1989 Essendon 44253727717645373320.10.311.17.018.12.91.33
1990 Essendon 1025111134615850469320.40.413.86.320.22.81.310
1991 Essendon 10225525317442750230.20.211.57.919.42.31.02
1992 Essendon 1020101329615745375310.50.714.87.922.73.81.62
1993† Essendon 102414938922161085490.60.416.29.225.43.52.06
1994 Essendon 10205525020245263260.30.312.510.122.63.21.35
1995 Essendon 1024161033918252169210.70.414.17.621.72.90.91
1996 Essendon 10258628119547681460.30.211.27.819.03.21.84
1997 Essendon 10208321111632744270.40.210.65.816.42.21.41
1998 Essendon 1017322059229745340.20.112.15.417.52.62.01
Career 243 88 72 3047 1785 4832 696 359 0.4 0.3 12.5 7.3 19.9 2.9 1.5 35

Coaching statistics

[20]
Legend
 W  Wins  L  Losses  D  Draws  W%  Winning percentage  LP  Ladder position  LT  League teams
Season Team Games W L D W % LP LT
2006 Essendon 100150.0%——
Career totals 1 0 0 1 50.0%

References

  1. ↑ Ballantyne, Adrian (19 October 2010). "Garry O'Donnell returns to Brisbane after leaving Bombers". Herald Sun. Melbourne. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Vero Coaching Group". lions.com.au. Brisbane Lions. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "King-sized satisfaction as Rams reach the peak at last". www.theage.com.au. 7 April 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "Parliament of Victoria – Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)" (PDF). www.parliament.vic.gov.au. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  5. ↑ J. Ross (ed.), 100 Years of Australian Football, Ringwood, 1996, pp. 339,352; M. Maplestone, Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club, 1872–1996, Melbourne, 1996, pp. 561.
  6. ↑ "The Voice of GO'D: The importance of reserves footy". 30 July 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "2014 Hall of Fame - Gary O'Donnell". 8 May 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "The Voice of GO'D: The importance of reserves footy". 30 July 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "2014 Hall of Fame - Gary O'Donnell". 8 May 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  10. ↑ "Gary O'Donnell Recognised For Service". 8 October 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "Gary O'Donnell Recognised For Service". 8 October 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  12. ↑ Images, Getty (22 July 2006). "Blues snatch draw with Bombers". ABC News.
  13. ↑ "In a HOT seat for a day: Gary O'Donnell's rare insight as Sheeds' stand-in". 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  14. ↑ "The Voice of GO'D: The importance of reserves footy". 30 July 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "2014 Hall of Fame - Gary O'Donnell". 8 May 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  16. ↑ "O'Donnell returns to Lions". 18 October 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  17. ↑ "Gary O'Donnell Recognised For Service". 8 October 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  18. ↑ "AFL season 2016: Brisbane Lions' revamp hit as coaches look to leave den". 27 July 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  19. ↑ Gary O'Donnell's player profile at AFL Tables
  20. ↑ "AFL Tables - Gary O'Donnell - Coaching Record". afltables.com.


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