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Football is about mateship for Collingwood’s Harry O’Brien and on Saturday he has the chance to complete a fairytale alongside three of his closest pals.
The Brazilian-born backman, who was raised in Perth, capped off a remarkable journey of his own by playing in Collingwood’s victorious team in last year’s AFL grand final replay against St Kilda.
But fellow Magpies Chris Tarrant, Andrew Krakouer and Leon Davis, for various reasons, are yet to win a flag.
And O’Brien, one of the game’s most celebrated deep thinkers who attracted national attention earlier this year for his meeting with the Dalai Lama, is determined to give the trio a taste of the joy he felt last year.
“I’m very close to all three of them. They are some of my closest mates and we’ll be mates for life,” O’Brien told AAP.
“It’s great to see them getting this opportunity as well. It’s such a special week.”
O’Brien felt sick in his stomach late in the last quarter of Friday night’s preliminary final when Lance Franklin’s amazing goal from the boundary line put Hawthorn back in front.
However his thoughts were not for himself, but for his mates.
“That’s one of the things that was going through my mind when `Buddy’ (Franklin) kicked that goal,” O’Brien said.
“I thought I just want to be a part of the week. The lead-up to the grand final, it’s such a special occasion.
“Last year it all happened so quickly because it was so new.
“This time you know what to expect. You can prepare accordingly and try to keep it as normal as possible.
“It’s fantastic that they get that opportunity, especially Andrew Krakouer who hasn’t played in an AFL grand final.”
Davis, 30, tasted grand final defeat in 2002 and 2003 and played in the drawn grand final last year before being dropped for the replay.
Tarrant, 31, is a veteran of Collingwood’s 2003 grand final side and returned to the Magpies this season after a four-year stint with Fremantle.
Former Richmond goalsneak Krakouer served a 16-month jail term for assault before getting his football career back on track with a successful season in the WAFL in 2010.
“If you were to ask him (Krakouer) when he was incarcerated, do you think you’ll be going on an AFL grand final parade, he would have probably laughed at you,” O’Brien smiled.
“He gets that opportunity and I’m so grateful I get to share that moment.
“We’re all aware of it. We’ve spoken about it during the year.
“We don’t want to labour on it too much.”
O’Brien’s Magpies have the chance to become the first Collingwood side to win back-to-back flags since 1935-36.
But O’Brien is doing his best to stay in the moment.
“You make all of these sacrifices and it’s not to leave behind a legacy. You worry about that at the end of your career,” he said.
“It’s all about that moment on Saturday.”
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