Collingwood has today appointed Shane O’Bree as the Club’s National Recruitment Manager.

O’Bree joins the Club with over 27 years’ experience within football departments as a player, coach and as a recruiter.

A former Collingwood player, O’Bree returns to the AIA Vitality Centre having played 227 games in the black and white between 2000 – 2010, following two seasons with the Brisbane Lions where he was a teammate of Craig McRae and Justin Leppitsch.

Since 2013 O’Bree has worked at the Geelong Cats, transitioning into the recruitment and list management team in 2022 after previously serving as an AFL Assistant Coach and VFL Coach. Prior to this, O’Bree was an Assistant Coach for the Gold Coast SUNS.

O’Bree will report into General Manager of List and Talent Strategy Justin Leppitsch and will play a key role in identifying and securing the best available talent nationally and internationally.

Collingwood Executive General Manager of Football Charlie Gardiner welcomed O’Bree to the program.

“We are excited to welcome Shane who will support Justin Leppitsch and oversee our talent identification and recruiting strategy and play a key role in scouting and acquiring AFL talent,” Gardiner said.

“Shane has a very strong football background with broad coaching, player development and recruiting experience.

“He has completed a terrific apprenticeship at Geelong where he has established strong relationships throughout the industry and gained experience in successfully identifying and selecting quality players in all parts of the draft.

“As well as his wealth of football experience, Shane is an outstanding person with a strong connection to our Club and I’m very confident he will be an excellent addition to our team.  

“Shane will start his role in the coming weeks, and we look forward to welcoming his wife Gabby and his family back to our Club.”

Access Level 1 seating at Collingwood MCG home games with a Reserved Bay Membership.