O’Brien was one of four teenagers selected by the Lions in last year’s AFL National Draft (Pick No.73 overall) and has since been a valuable contributor for the Lions Reserves side.
He has already had a brief taste of senior action during this year’s NAB Cup pre-season competition with solid displays against the Western Bulldogs and Carlton.
His form with the reserves side has been particularly impressive in the past month which prompted Senior Coach Michael Voss to announce on Monday that the 19 year-old would definitely line-up for his first senior game against the Blues.
“Jesse O’Brien will be playing his first game this week which is good for him,” Voss said on Monday.
“He certainly deserves his opportunity. His work rate is great and he runs hard. He really does warrant a position in the team.”
“It’s good to be able to blood a youngster. It’s good to see the smile on their face when they receive the news,” he said.
“At this stage there is probably not a lot of him, but he covers the ground really well. He doesn’t shirk an issue and always puts his body on the line. He’s got reasonable skills and his competitive instincts have been right up there ever since he got here.”
“He showed glimpses early in the season that he had what it takes, but slowly over time he has shown the consistency required to able to do it week after week.”
The light framed O’Brien will more than likely feature as a wingman/half-forward flanker in the early stages of his career.
North Adelaide Football Manager James Moore has seen O’Brien’s development first-hand having closely watched him play with the SANFL club last year.
“He is evasive and has a bit of flair about the way he plays,” Moore said.
“He’s got some x-factor about him.”
O’Brien becomes the second Lions player to make his senior debut this season after Todd Banfield played his first match back in Round 1 this season.
He will also become the 38th player in Club history to run out in the number 34 guernsey most prominently worn by Fitzroy greats Grant Lawrie and Doug Searl.
Click here to view Jesse O’Brien’s online player profile page.
