Left: A Redback through and through is Michael O’Brien, who plays his 300th game for his beloved Hampton Park against traditional rivals Cranbourne this weekend.By Brad Kingsbury
MICHAEL O’Brien is a name that will always be synonymous with Hampton Park Football Club.
This weekend, the 33-year-old Redback hard man will play his 300th game in the black and red jumper, a feat which both honours and humbles the man himself.
“I didn’t want to get to 300 on false pretences and I was tossing whether to play or not at the start of the year,” he said. “But Chaps (Redbacks coach Jason Chapple) said he wanted me there and my fitness and body is in good condition, probably as good as it has been for years.”
O’Brien, who made his name as an on-baller but now spends much of his time in defence, knows only one way to play the game and that’s with all his heart.
Team mates and foes alike respect the man known as ‘Baby’ throughout the district and regardless of the result, O’Brien is among the first into the social rooms after the game to share a beer with even the most bitter on-field enemy.
His journey to the 300-game milestone started almost two decades ago as a 16-year-old debutant in 1989.
Along with his older brother Shane, Mick was an integral part of the rise of the club from the easybeats of the 1980s and early 1990s to the glory of back-to-back premierships in 1997 and 1998 under Mick Hill.
O’Brien started his football with the Redbacks in the under nines, ironically also under Hill, then a senior player with the club, who was also his first coach.
He has been loyal to Hampton Park since and some of those he noted as major influences on his career include Hill, his under 16 coach Bruce Tonkin and Hampton Park legend Ken Arnott, who he said taught him about dedication and on-field leadership.
After the glory years of the late 1990s, the club fell on hard times after over-extending itself and O’Brien played a vital role in saving the club from ruin after it fell into serious debt after 2000.
After officials contemplated shutting the doors, Mick took on the coaching role with Peter Wood, while president Mark Peters and assistant Mick Thomas led the battle to rebuild the club’s finances from scratch.
The process has been successful and the Redbacks are improving again.
Mick says his only regret was not having a crack at a higher level when he had the chance as a 21 year old, but he is proud of his career and looking forward to playing more finals with the club.
He has developed great personal rivalries and cites star Cranbourne rover Chris Garrett as his hardest opponent. He has a special affinity with tradtional opponents like Doveton and Cranbourne and said it was fitting that his milestone game would be played against the Eagles on his home ground, the Robert Booth Reserve.
Club and team goals have always been his priority and personal accolades are not high on Mick’s agenda.
There is no shortage of opponents across the district who will testify that ‘old-style’ best describes Mick’s playing habits, but this week’s well-earned milestone may temper his fierce determination a little.
Then again, maybe not!
