Shane O'Bree (born 15 March 1979) is a former professional Australian rules football player who played for the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of t ...

and

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club ...

in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is currently serving as an assistant coach with Geelong.

Early life

Originally from Beaufort in north-west Victoria, via

North Ballarat Rebels The Greater Western Victoria Rebels is an Australian rules football club which plays in the NAB League, the statewide under-18s competition in Victoria, Australia. Initially known as the Ballarat Rebels and wearing green and gold, the team was e ...

under 18 side, O'Bree was drafted to the Brisbane in the 1997 National Draft as a first-round selection.

Career

Brisbane

O'Bree spent two years with Brisbane, debuting in 1998 - but managed only 19 games in his 2 seasons. A ball winning midfielder, he won an

AFL Rising Star The AFL Rising Star is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best young player in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the year. It was first presented in the 1993 season, and was won by Nathan ...

nomination in the first week of 1999, having 27 touches.

Leigh Matthews Leigh Raymond Matthews (born 1 March 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and coached and the . Squat, short-legged and barrel-chested, Matthews earned the ...

, coach of the Brisbane Lions, travelled to O'Bree's hometown of

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

during the off season in an attempt to persuade him to remain at Brisbane at the end of the 1999 season. Collingwood coach, Michael Malthouse, was very interested in O'Bree due to his brilliant display in his second AFL season. O'Bree left Brisbane by choice and Collingwood selected O'Bree with their first pick in the 2000 Pre-Season Draft.

Collingwood

O'Bree had a great first season with the club, showing dominance as a clearance player. He had 498 disposals and then 467 in successive seasons at Collingwood. O'Bree suffered a slow start to 2002 thanks to osteitis pubis, but played in both the 2002 Grand Final and the 2003 Grand Final, once again being a valuable clearance player in the centre. Around this time he also played his 100th game. Steady seasons in both 2004 and 2005 kept him going, despite his lack of speed in a slow midfield outfit, he still found the ball and tackled hard. 2006 saw him play all 23 games and bring up his 150th career game in round 5 against . He consistently found the ball, having another good season in which he averaged 21 touches per game.

Coaching

After retiring as a player, he joined the

Gold Coast Suns The Gold Coast Suns is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast in the suburb of Carrara. The club has been playing in the AFL since t ...

as a midfield assistant coach for their inaugural season in the AFL in 2011. At the end of the 2012 season, O'Bree moved back to Victoria and joined the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2 ...

as a midfield stoppage assistant coach.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Obree, Shane 1979 births Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Collingwood Football Club players Brisbane Lions players Greater Western Victoria Rebels players Beaufort Football Club players Living people