PLAYER REVIEW: #23 Tim O'Brien
Much like John Farnham, here is our final farewell to Timmy
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Our next stop in our player review series is Hawthorn stalwart and new Bulldog, Tim O’Brien. But instead of our traditional review, we are going to bring back the goodbye articles we wrote when Timmy flew the coup.
To put in into perspective, farewell articles HI has written for:
Alastair Clarkson - 1
Shaun Burgoyne - 1
Tim O’Brien - 3
That may seem like overkill but it speaks more to how polarising Timmy has been as a player than his impact on the club over NINE years.
#23 TIM O’BRIEN
2021 Stats:
Our tributes
Will We Regret Letting TOB Go?
Timmy's biggest fan Gerard McDermott penned an emotional farewell
“Timmy might drop a few attempted speccys but he always provides a contest and actually holds the ball more often than fans think. In fact, Tim took the same number of marks per game this year as Will Day did.”
In praise of Hawthorn’s whipping boys
Michael Ward looks back over a long line of Hawthorn whipping boys - from TOB to Ryan Schoenmakers and Tom Murphy
“Tim had a leap. He could crash a pack. His second efforts were instinctive. He was an aggressive tackler. He was a dependable shot for goal and a technically beautiful field kick. But those hands. They were a non-stick surface. TOB could sell the tech to Scanpan and make a fortune.”
I was there when Tim O’Brien…
Darren Levin penned an ‘almost’ tribute to TOB, looking back over three moments that defined his career
“It happened right in front of me on the wing and I will never forget the sound. UTAS Stadium is like a library at the best of times, so the noise of him clunking that mark at pace and then crashing into the ground will forever be etched into my mind. Not to mention the fact he actually stuck one for once.”
That mark:
Okay. Let’s take a moment to pause and reflect on one of the great moments in 2021 - and possibly one of the greatest Hawthorn marks of all time.
“O’Brien. Ohhhhhhhh we’ve been waiting and waiting. And oh boy O’Brien - what a mark.”
The dulcet tones of Anthony Hudson in the commentary box as he perfectly applied the right prose for the moment. We had been waiting, and it was worth the wait.
A moment that Timmy and Hawks fans everywhere will long remember and turned out to be one of the most replayed Hawthorn clips of 2021.
The consensus is that either Timmy or Jack Riewoldt SHOULD have won the Mark of the Year award, but the popular, public vote dictated that Shai Bolton got the gong. Disgraceful.
That goal:
After marking on the lead with a couple of minutes remaining, Timmy had the chance to seal a 40-point comeback and kick the winning goal of our round one game against Essendon.
TOB went back, snapped the ball truly around the corner, and put us in front as it stayed until the final siren sounded.
Timmy was not sure whether or not to drop punt the ball or snap it, recounting the moment after the game - happy with his decision.
“With the mark I took, I was sort of on my limit of set shot or around the body kick. I didn’t know what to do but once I decided I was going around the corner, I just got into that routine, shut everything else out and it was just like any other kick really.”
“I seriously just went into my set shot routine. Just blocked everything else out and I was able to kick it, which is good.”
Always a memorable moment to kick a winning goal. Double the value against the Bombers.
What you think:
Final Words:
Ash says:
We’re in the process of writing up our ‘best 23s' for next season and there wouldn’t have been a spot for good, old ‘Glimpses’ in my team or suspect any other of the Hawks Insiders. The returning James Sicily takes his spot and that’s where the discussion starts and ends.
The funny thing is that as we approach the ‘let’s rewatch some Hawthorn wins’ time of the off-season, O’Brien will feature prominently, with the match winner against the Dons, the speccy against the Giants and some great games against the Lions and Dogs in particular.
Still, we bid him a fond farewell and wish him the best at the Bulldogs, where I’m sure he will be treated well. No doubt, he will have his good games there, which will spark the “What were the Hawks thinking…” clickbaity sort of drivel. But any reasonable analysis concludes that it was best for both parties that he moves on.
Darren says:
Eight-hundred words not enough? I’ve been a Tim O’Brien apologist for much of his career at the Hawks and thank him for some unforgettable moments - the winning goal against the Bombers, the hanger against Freo at UTAs, and that mark against GWS. But the fact he plays his best footy in the backline doesn’t make him much of an asset in a team absolutely stacked with backline talent. That being said I can see Tim having a Taylor Duryea-like resurgence at the Bulldogs and wish him all the best as the Bulldogs’ new whipping boy - sorry, I mean utility.
Andrew says:
Goodbye and good luck Timmy.
To be honest, I was never ever really a fan.
I am shocked he played nearly 100 games, and that year after year he was kept on the list over a number of other kids that I thought deserved more of a go. But that’s the nature of the game, and I am obviously not a selector / list builder / coach - so all props to those in the know.
He worked hard with what he had, and I certainly don’t begrudge him for moving on - and while it is an incredible feat to even become a an AFL player, his time at Hawthorn will go down as serviceable at best.
Wish him nothing but the best - hopefully a flag in the next couple of years alongside Taylor at the Dogs.