Ryan O'Keefe (born 24 January 1981) is a former professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er with the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a reser ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL), and was part of the Swans' 2005 and 2012 premiership-winning sides. O'Keefe was a member of the 2006 All-Australian side and is one of Sydney's key forwards. He is known for his superb fitness and running ability, as well as his strong marking overhead. He is among the very best in the AFL in terms of ground coverage. It is these abilities that have made up for his slight lack of height and speed, which were obstacles early in his career. He is also a terrific left-foot kick, which has served him well since he transformed from a defender to a forward early in his career with the Swans. In 2015 Ryan began his coaching career as a midfield development coach with .

Early life

Ryan O'Keefe was educated at St Kevin's College in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, where he was the football team captain. He played for the

Calder Cannons The Calder Cannons is an Australian rules football club from Melbourne, Australia. The club competes in the NAB League, the Victorian Statewide Under-18s competition, and fields squads in the Under-15s, Under-16s and Under-18s. The club was forme ...

in the

TAC Cup The NAB League Boys (also referred to as simply the NAB League and formerly known as the TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition held in Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victo ...

. In 1999, Ezra Bray lived with O'Keefe's family whilst on an AFL scholarship to attend Essendon Keilor College.

AFL career

O'Keefe was drafted in the 1999 AFL Draft with the 56th selection. In 2002, O'Keefe's younger brother Aaron died in a car accident. His family had lost another son at nine months of age to

sudden infant death syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. SIDS usuall ...

when Ryan was 5 years old. He also has a younger sister and brother. His father Brian played football for

Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...

reserves and his grandfather

Lionel Ryan Lionel Ryan (13 May 1935 – 6 September 2022) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL). The plucky redhead missed out on the 1954 VFL Grand Final, being dropped for coach, Cha ...

played for Footscray in the 1950s. O'Keefe struggled to maintain his place in the Sydney side in his first few years at the club, but his form improved when he concentrated more on running and less on weight training. He also shifted from defence to a midfield and attack role.

2005

O'Keefe played all 26 games in Sydney's premiership year of 2005, having a particularly brilliant finals series, and played one of the best games of his career in the Preliminary Final against the Saints. In the same year, he represented Australia in the

International Rules International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed ...

series.

2006

In 2006, he made

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perf ...

selection, and was once again selected to represent Australia in the International Rules series. He had a highly successful series, scoring more points than any other player. He was awarded the Jim Stynes medal for the best Australian player in the series. O'Keefe played his 100th AFL game in Round 7 against . In what was also Paul Williams' 300th game, Sydney defeated Richmond by 118 points. He came equal second in the running for the

Bob Skilton Robert John "Bob" Skilton (born 8 November 1938) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Playing as a rover, Skilton is one of only four players to have won the Brownlow Medal three tim ...

Medal, which is annually awarded to the Best and Fairest player at the Sydney Swans, to one of the three Co-Captains, Brett Kirk.

2007

O'Keefe backed up his

form of 2006 with a memorable performance through the 07 season, once again finishing second in the votes for the

medal behind

Brett Kirk Brett Kirk (born 25 October 1976) is a former Australian rules football player of the Sydney Swans and was the AFL's International Ambassador. Kirk is currently serving as an assistant coach with the Sydney Swans. AFL career Kirk grew up in Al ...

who also was one of shining lights for the Swans.

2008–2012

After a strong start to the season, increased pressure was placed on O'Keefe following the suspension of troubled forward target

Barry Hall Barry Hall (born 8 February 1977) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club, Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is considered to be one of the be ...

. O'Keefe also played for the Victorian team for the one-off match in May, but instead of wearing his normal #5, he wore #1. Following the 2008 Grand Final, O'Keefe signalled his intentions to continue his career elsewhere, specifically in Victoria - his place of birth, after knocking back an initial three-year contract offer by the Swans. After a suitable swap was not able to be arranged during the AFL's "trade week," however, O'Keefe decided against entering a pre-season draft where three teams outside Victoria had picks before any other Victorian teams. He then signed a 4-year contract with the Sydney Swans. O'Keefe attracted press criticism after making a slow start to the 2009 season, but after moving into a midfield role he performed strongly through the majority of the 2009 season, and was rewarded by being selected as the Bob Skilton medallist for the season. After a very impressive first month of play in 2010, O'Keefe suffered a concussion against the Brisbane Lions at the SCG which somewhat stalled his season. He also sustained a groin injury later in the year which severely hampered his ability to cover the ground with his elite endurance. Accordingly, he was prevented from spending whole games in the midfield and towards the end of the year he spent more and more time in the forward line. O'Keefe did manage to play some impressive football however, particularly against Hawthorn at the SCG when he blanketed Luke Hodge while kicking four goals himself (he was awarded three Brownlow votes for his game). Since the end of the season, O'Keefe has had groin surgery and will be able to participate in pre-season training. Having recovered from his debilitating groin injury in 2010, O'Keefe returned to very strong and consistent form in 2011. He spent most of his time in the midfield, though did play some meaningful roles up forward late in the year, kicking 4 goals in the Elimination Final against St.Kilda at Etihad Stadium in a BOG performance and then kicking 3 the next week against Hawthorn in the Swans' Semi Final Loss at the MCG. O'Keefe finished 4th in the Bob Skilton Medal count for season 2011. O'Keefe won the

Norm Smith Medal The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990 the competition was known as the Victorian Football ...

after his side the Sydney Swans beat Hawthorn by 10 points in the

2012 AFL Grand Final The 2012 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Sydney Swans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September 2012. It was the 117th annual grand final of the Australian Football ...

, the first Swans player to do so since the medal's inception in 1979. O'Keefe finished 3rd in the 2012 Bob Skilton Medal after a superb season. He combined magnificently with the likes of Skilton Medal winner Josh Kennedy,

Jarrad McVeigh Jarrad McVeigh (born 7 April 1985) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is the younger brother of former Essendon midfielder Mark McVeigh. He was co-captain of the ...

Kieren Jack Kieren Jack (born 28 June 1987) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was the co-captain of the Sydney Swans, alongside Jarrad McVeigh from 2013 to 2016. Early life ...

Lewis Jetta Lewis Jetta (born 4 May 1989) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Swan Districts Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). Career Early career Jetta played his junior football with Carey Park Junior Football ...

Dan Hannebery Daniel Hannebery (born 24 February 1991) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Sydney Swans from 2009 to 2018 and for the St Kilda Football Club fro ...

and

Craig Bird Craig Bird (born 21 January 1989) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans and Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted to the Swans with the 59th pick in the 20 ...

to become one of the best midfields in the competition. In August 2014, O'Keefe quit the Swans due to limited opportunities and was hoping to be picked up by another club next year. However, he announced his retirement a month later on in September, stating his intention to finish his career as a one-club player for Sydney.

Coaching career

In October 2014, O'Keefe was appointed as a midfield development coach at to begin his coaching career. In November 2016, he was appointed as coach of the club's SANFL team. After two years with Adelaide, O'Keefe replaced Torin Baker in December 2018 as coach of the

Western Jets The Western Jets is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Victorian premier U19 competition, the NAB League, since its inception in 1992. The club have developmental squads in the U16, however much of the attention is towards its U ...

in the

Career highlights

*TAC Cup Team of the Year 1999 *

International Rules Series The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team (s ...

2005, 2006 (

Jim Stynes Medal The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team (se ...

2006) *Sydney Swans Premiership player 2005 *

2006 *Sydney Swans Premiership player 2012 *

2012

Statistics

: , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, , 39 , , 5 , , 1 , , 0 , , 14 , , 10 , , 24 , , 9 , , 4 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 2.8 , , 2.0 , , 4.8 , , 1.8 , , 0.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, , 5 , , 13 , , 6 , , 4 , , 78 , , 20 , , 98 , , 20 , , 14 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 6.0 , , 1.5 , , 7.5 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, , 5 , , 9 , , 12 , , 8 , , 62 , , 32 , , 94 , , 33 , , 14 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 6.9 , , 3.6 , , 10.4 , , 3.7 , , 1.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, , 5 , , 16 , , 17 , , 5 , , 74 , , 35 , , 109 , , 41 , , 22 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 4.6 , , 2.2 , , 6.8 , , 2.6 , , 1.4 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, , 5 , , 24 , , 33 , , 17 , , 244 , , 103 , , 347 , , 124 , , 56 , , 1.4 , , 0.7 , , 10.2 , , 4.3 , , 14.5 , , 5.2 , , 2.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, , 5 , , 26 , , 31 , , 33 , , 280 , , 105 , , 385 , , 128 , , 65 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , 10.8 , , 4.0 , , 14.8 , , 4.9 , , 2.5 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, , 5 , , 25 , , 32 , , 22 , , 356 , , 119 , , 475 , , 178 , , 64 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 14.2 , , 4.8 , , 19.0 , , 7.1 , , 2.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, , 5 , , 23 , , 23 , , 18 , , 282 , , 122 , , 404 , , 122 , , 83 , , 1.0 , , 0.8 , , 12.3 , , 5.3 , , 17.6 , , 5.3 , , 3.6 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, , 5 , , 23 , , 23 , , 26 , , 303 , , 149 , , 452 , , 113 , , 68 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , 13.2 , , 6.5 , , 19.7 , , 4.9 , , 3.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, , 5 , , 22 , , 13 , , 7 , , 287 , , 238 , , 525 , , 95 , , 117 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 13.0 , , 10.8 , , 23.9 , , 4.3 , , 5.3 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, , 5 , , 23 , , 17 , , 15 , , 269 , , 210 , , 479 , , 98 , , 98 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 11.7 , , 9.1 , , 20.8 , , 4.3 , , 4.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, , 5 , , 24 , , 20 , , 20 , , 317 , , 226 , , 543 , , 75 , , 139 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 13.2 , , 9.4 , , 22.6 , , 3.1 , , 5.8 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, , 5 , , 24 , , 20 , , 7 , , 329 , , 271 , , 600 , , 72 , , 156 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 13.7 , , 11.3 , , 25.0 , , 3.0 , , 6.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, , 5 , , 25 , , 12 , , 11 , , 308 , , 267 , , 575 , , 96 , , 164 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 12.3 , , 10.7 , , 23.0 , , 3.8 , , 6.6 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, , 5 , , 4 , , 1 , , 0 , , 24 , , 20 , , 44 , , 11 , , 11 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 6.0 , , 5.0 , , 11.0 , , 2.8 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 286 ! 261 ! 193 ! 3227 ! 1927 ! 5154 ! 1215 ! 1075 ! 0.9 ! 0.7 ! 11.3 ! 6.7 ! 18.0 ! 4.2 ! 3.8

Personal life

In January 2008 O'Keefe married Tara Duggan and together they have a son Levi born September 2009 and a second child, Savannah, born in April 2012. He was nominated for the Cleo Bachelor of the Year in 2005 and once dated

Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, (born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson; 5 February 1972) is the wife of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark. Frederik is the heir apparent to the throne, which means that should he succeed, Mary ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Okeefe, Ryan Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Sydney Swans players Sydney Swans Premiership players 1981 births Living people All-Australians (AFL) Bob Skilton Medal winners People educated at St Kevin's College, Melbourne Calder Cannons players Strathmore Football Club players Norm Smith Medal winners Australia international rules football team players Two-time VFL/AFL Premiership players