Mark O'Connor (sportsman)

Mark O'Connor (Irish: Marc Ó Conchúir;[1] born 17 January 1997) is an Irish professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Mark O'Connor
O'Connor playing for Geelong in April 2019
Personal information
Full name Mark O'Connor
Date of birth (1997-01-17) 17 January 1997
Place of birth Daingean Uí Chúis, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland
Original team(s) Dingle (club)/Kerry (county team)
Debut Round 8, 2017, Geelong vs. Essendon, at MCG
Height 191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 87 kg (192 lb)
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current club Geelong
Number 42
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2017– Geelong 109 (7)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2023.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

O'Connor is a native of Daingean Uí Chúis, a town in an Irish-speaking region of County Kerry, Ireland. Mark is the oldest of a set of triplets, with his identical sisters Sinead & Brydie still living in Ireland. Prior to leaving for Australia, O'Connor studied commerce at University College Cork.[2]

Gaelic football career
O'Connor playing Gaelic football

O'Connor is particularly noted for his spectacular high fielding ability in Gaelic football, being described as one of the brightest stars of Kerry football prior to his move to Australia.[3] O'Connor won two All-Ireland minor football medals with Kerry in 2014 and 2015.[4] He captained the side and won the Man of the Match award in the 2015 final.[5][6] He also won two Hogan Cup titles with his school Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne in both those years.

O'Connor hopes to represent the Kerry senior football team in the future, as it is his dream to so.[7] Colm O'Rourke wrote after the 2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final loss to Dublin that O'Connor was the midfielder Kerry "badly need to take some of the load off David Moran".[8]

Australian rules career

Having had trials at five AFL sides, North Melbourne, Melbourne and Geelong all expressed interest in acquiring his services.[9] He was drafted by Geelong from Kerry GAA in Ireland as a category B rookie in October 2016.[10] He made his debut in the seventeen point loss against Essendon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round eight of the 2017 AFL season.[11]

In 2022 he and Zach Tuohy became only the second and third Irish players to win an AFL title, following Tadhg Kennelly in 2005.[12]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2022 season.[13]

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
  #  
 Played in that season's 
premiership team
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2017Geelong42 20041721450.00.02.08.510.52.02.50
2018Geelong42 5003721582390.00.07.44.211.64.61.80
2019Geelong42 2310195127322104610.00.08.55.514.04.52.70
2020[lower-alpha 1]Geelong42 21201588023887310.10.07.53.811.34.11.50
2021Geelong42 14101119520648400.10.07.96.814.73.42.91
2022#Geelong42 220417110627784560.00.27.84.812.63.82.50
Career 874467644611223502020.00.07.85.112.94.02.31

Notes

  1. The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

Team

References
  1. "Muircheartaigh's late frees help retain the Hogan Cup - IrishTimes.com". The Irish Times. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  2. "From Dingle to Geelong - a Kerry All-Ireland winning captain starting an Aussie Rules career". The 42. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  3. "Young Kerryman Mark O'Connor's Aussie Rules Career Is Making A Stunning Rise". Balls.ie. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  4. "Kerry's Mark O'Connor could be in line to feature for Geelong in AFL round one this weekend". The 42. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  5. "Muircheartaigh's late frees help retain the Hogan Cup - IrishTimes.com". The Irish Times. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  6. "All-Ireland MFC final: classy Kingdom cruise past Tipp". Hogan Stand. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  7. "Mark O'Connor: I want to play for Kerry down the line". The Irish Times. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  8. O'Rourke, Colm (22 September 2019). "General Gavin makes history with no histrionics, victory without vanity". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 22 September 2019. The midfielder they badly need to take some of the load off David Moran was playing in Melbourne this weekend. He is Mark O'Connor who is with the Geelong club and is a star out there.
  9. "Young Kerryman Mark O'Connor's Aussie Rules Career Is Making A Stunning Rise". Balls.ie. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  10. Wade, Nick (19 October 2016). "Irish football star Mark O'Connor joins Geelong as an international rookie". Geelong Advertiser. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  11. Cavanagh, Chris (12 May 2017). "Mark O'Connor set to make AFL debut with Geelong after being plucked out of Ireland". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  12. "Grand Final joy for Tuohy and O'Connor as Geelong destroy Sydney". RTÉ. 24 September 2022.
  13. "Mark O'Connor Stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
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