(24th Eagles player)
A fearless defender, Michael O’Connell was recruited from Claremont to form part of West Coast’s inaugural squad.
West Coast career[]
The son of former Claremont player and president and one-time WAFL General Manager, John O’Connell, Michael played 10 games in the club’s first season and another 10 in the second season. He was joined at the club by brother David in 1988, although the pair did not manage to play a VFL game together.
Generally used in defence, O’Connell could be swung forward with good effect, shown by his 3-goal haul against Fitzroy in 1987 and a match-winning 5 goals against Geelong (who his father also played for).
O’Connell struggled with injury throughout his career at Claremont and West Coast, and was delisted at the end of 1988.
Post-VFL career[]
O'Connell became an artist and in 2014 entered a portrait of legendary commentator Dennis Cometti in the Archibald Prize.
Stats[]
| AFL | Gm | G | B | K | M | H | D | T | WAFL | Gm | G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 83 | 41 | 43 | 126 | 11 | Clar | 0 | ||
| 1988 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 71 | 34 | 22 | 93 | 5 | 8 | 11 | ||
| Tot | 20 | 13 | 5 | 154 | 75 | 65 | 219 | 16 | ||||
| Avg | 0.6 | 7.7 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 11.0 | 0.8 |
Links[]
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/M/Michael_OConnell.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Connell_(footballer)
Stephen Bevis, The West Australian 3 June 2014, "Ex-Eagle tackles Archibald Prize": https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/24112015/ex-eagle-tackles-archibald-prize/