CTV > Rnd8 Post Match With: Harry O'Brien

Harry O’Brien praised his fellow defenders for the help they provided in helping him quell dangerous Saint Stephen Milne on Friday night.

O’Brien kept Milne, who was coming off a seven-goal haul against Richmond, to two goals while being one of the Magpies’ best in the crucial nine-point victory at Telstra Dome.

But rather than take credit for his own performance in which he combined excellent defensive plays with run, carry and flair, O’Brien emphasised it was the way the defensive unit worked together that enabled him to keep Milne in check.

“I think the support of my team mates was the vital thing, we really worked for each other down back and also around the ground,” O’Brien told CTV in the rooms after the game.

“I think that was the most important thing that really helped me out there.”

With senior coach Mick Malthouse warning during the week that his team would need to lift after an up-and-down start to the season, the pressure was on the Magpies to perform, and no-one responded better than O’Brien, whose brilliant first quarter goal gave his side a huge boost and triggered his own exceptional outing.

After having a weekend off, O’Brien said the side endured some gruelling training sessions in the lead-up to the Saints game, and he personally took a lot of confidence out of the training. 

“Last week was pretty tough on the track and we worked pretty hard, and I got a lot of confidence out of doing the hard work on the track.”

While Collingwood gradually wore St Kilda down on Friday night, the Saints certainly came out firing and had the Magpie defence under pressure early, but the way the Magpies responded was excellent, something O’Brien put down to composure, and support from team mates further afield.

“We just had to stay composed and really work for each other.

“Also the midfielders worked hard for us as well, so I think that was  vital.”

O’Brien finished with six kicks, six handpasses and three tackles in a performance in which stats only tell a very small part of the story.

His run, pressure and creativity deep in defence was crucial to Collingwood’s success against the Saints.