Adelaide Crows first gamer Reilly O’Brien made a splash in his AFL debut with 29 hitouts, 16 possessions and a goal – but it was nothing compared to what happened after the game.
“I was worried for you,” FIVEAA’s Stephen Rowe told O-Brien on Monday. “You didn’t have snorkel. That Gatorade shower was one of the most aggressive Gatorades I’ve ever seen.”
“It was brutal wasn’t it, absolutely brutal,” O’Brien admitted.
“The boys absolutely drenched me. I think I might need a new pair of boots.
“[My] jumper as well might have to go in the bin because it was soaked. I was about 10 kilos heavier after that.”
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The 201cm ruckman took the debut in his stride, but admitted to some pre-game jitters.
“I was a little bit nervous,” O’Brien said.
“I’m not a nervous type. I don’t get too anxious about things but on the weekend I was definitely a little bit nervous before the game and early on in the game.
“After playing for a little while I settled into it.”
O’Brien said the speed of AFL was the biggest difference from playing SANFL.
“The ball just goes from end to end so quickly with the skill level and the speed and fitness of all the players.
“I was blowing up some times during the game, especially early on, just adjusting to the tempo,” he said.
