Bryde O'Rourke

Last updated

Bryde O'Rourke
Personal information
Born (2005-11-28) 28 November 2005 (age 20)
Bendigo, Victoria
Original team Strathfieldsaye (BFL)
Draft 23
Height 174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Position Forward
Club information
Current club Geelong
Number 23
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
2024– Geelong 6 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2025 season.
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Bryde O'Rourke (born 28 November 2005) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for Geelong in the AFL Women's (AFLW).

Contents

Born and raised in Bendigo to Margaret O'Rourke, former mayor of the city of Greater Bendigo, and former Geelong footballer Ray O'Rourke, O'Rourke played her junior football with Bendigo Football League (BFL) club Strathfieldsaye and Bendigo Pioneers in the Coates Talent League, and was selected in the Vic Country representative team at the 2023 Under-19s National Championships.

O'Rourke was drafted as a father-daughter selection by Geelong Football Club with pick 23 at the 2023 AFL Women's draft. She made her senior debut in Week 6a of the 2024 AFLW season, subsequently suffering a collarbone injury, which ruled her out for the remainder of the season.

Early life

O'Rourke was born on 28 November 2005 [1] in Bendigo, Victoria, as the youngest of two daughters to Margaret O'Rourke, former mayor of the city of Greater Bendigo, [2] and former Geelong footballer Ray. [3] O'Rourke played junior football with Bendigo Football League (BFL) club Strathfieldsaye and Bendigo Pioneers in the Coates Talent League, the statewide Under 19s competition. [3] Her form led to her selection for Vic Country at the 2023 Under 19s National Championships. [4]

AFLW career

O'Rourke was taken as a father-daughter selection by Geelong Football Club with pick 23 at the 2023 AFL Women's draft. [3] She made her senior debut in Week 6a of the 2024 AFLW season, 55 years after her father last played in the VFL. [5] In doing so, she broke the record for the longest gap between a parent's last game and their child's first game, [5] which was previously held by Gerry and Damian Sexton, with a less than 45 year gap. [6] Playing against Fremantle at GMHBA Stadium, O'Rourke injured her collarbone early in the match, ruling her out for the remainder of the season. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Bryde O'Rourke". AFL Media . Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  2. "Margaret O'Rourke". Planning Institute of Australia . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Batten, Dan (19 December 2023). "AFLW Draft: Former Geelong player Ray O'Rourke on his daughter Bryde getting drafted and his career". Herald Sun . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  4. "Cats pounce on father-daughter pick". Geelong Independent. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 Black, Sarah (12 June 2024). "Life of Bryde: Cats' father-daughter pick set to play 55 years after dad". AFL Media . Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  6. Lovett, Michael. "New Blues cult hero helping close the generation gap". AFL Record (Round 7, 11–14 May 2012): 10.