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Full name
John O'Connell
Known as
John O'Connell
Born
22 April 1951
Died
5 November 1989 (aged 38)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 18y 361d
Last game: 25y 149d
Height and weight
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 82 kg
Senior clubs
Carlton
Jumper numbers
Carlton: 50, 19
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carlton | V/AFL | 1970-1976 | 111 | 0 | 0.00 | 66% | 8.01 | 2.46 | 2.05 | 0 |
Total | 1970-1976 | 111 | 0 | 0.00 | 66% | 8.01 | 2.46 | 2.05 | 0 |
AFL: 8,243rd player to appear, 2,125th most games played, 12,389th most goals kickedCarlton: 818th player to appear, 150th most games played, 1,170th most goals kicked
John ‘Jack’ O’Connell was one of the lesser lights at Carlton during a memorable era for the club, but he was nevertheless an important and valued player. Between 1971 and 1976 he played 111 VFL games for the Blues, mainly as a permanent back pocket, but he could also function effectively as a tagger. A long kick, he teamed well with full back Geoff Southby to help make the Blues’ defence one of the best in the league not to mention one of the best in the history of the club. He was in his customary back pocket position for the 1972 grand final defeat of Richmond, while in the following year’s losing play-off against the same opponent he tagged the great Ian Stewart, to limited effect. He had actually been a late inclusion in the ‘73 flag decider, replacing Barry Armstrong who was ill.
In 1977 Jack O’Connell was cleared to WANFL club Subiaco but he only played five matches for the year. He later returned to Victoria and coached Diamond Creek to a premiership in the Diamond Valley Football League. He died at the distressingly young age of 38 after a two year battle with cancer.
Author - John Devaney