Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Stephen Phillip O'Reilly

Known as
Stephen O'Reilly

Born
9 November 1972 (age 51)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 20y 154d
Last game: 27y 264d

Height and weight
Height: 195 cm
Weight: 100 kg

Senior clubs
Swan Districts; Geelong; Fremantle; Carlton

Jumper numbers
Geelong: 20
Fremantle: 10
Carlton: 26

Recruited from
Geelong (1995); Fremantle (2000)

Family links
Dillon O'Reilly (Son)

Stephen O'Reilly

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
Swan DistrictsWASFL1990-199241160.39
GeelongAFL1993-19943650.1458%5.532.833.063
FremantleAFL1995-199998150.1535%8.222.913.964
CarltonAFL20001210.0850%5.922.753.330
WASFL1990-199241160.39
AFL1993-2000146210.1442%7.372.883.687
Total1990-2000187370.20

AFL: 10,405th player to appear, 1,399th most games played, 3,628th most goals kickedGeelong: 913th player to appear, 418th most games played, 527th most goals kickedFremantle: 19th player to appear, 51st most games played, 109th most goals kickedCarlton: 1,038th player to appear, 723rd most games played, 867th most goals kicked

A powerful and highly talented key position defender and occasional forward Stephen O’Reilly debuted with Swan Districts in 1990 before becoming a regular senior player the following year. After the 1991 season he was drafted by Geelong but opted to stay in Western Australia for one more year, at the end of which he had played 41 games for Swans and kicked 16 goals. He then spent two seasons with the Cats, playing 36 games and registering 5 goals whilst stamping himself as one of the premier tall defenders going round.

The 1995 season saw a new club, Fremantle Dockers, entering the AFL, and that was where O’Reilly ended up following a determined pursuit by the newcomers. Between 1995 and 1999 he produced the best and most consistent football of his career, including winning the club’s best and fairest award in 1996. Widely acknowledged as one of Fremantle’s bona fide stars he played 98 AFL games for the club, booting 15 goals, b efore rounding off his career with 12 games for Carlton in an injury-impaired 2000 season.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers by Russell Holmesby & Jim Main; Wikipedia article

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.