37. The Story of O

[Spluff]

Orren Stephenson is a mature age ruckman, rookied by the Tigers as backup for the 2013 season. A traditional, strong bodied tap ruckman, he was one of the best going around in the VFL for many years, before being recruited by Geelong for the 2012 season.

His 2012 season was largely disappointing, playing 8 games for the Cats before being moved on to make room for ex-North ruckman Hamish McIntosh. However, there were some signs that the Big O could become a player, such as the powerful performance he displayed against eventual grand finallists Hawthorn in rd. 19, as well as amassing 30 hit outs in a rd. 9 game against the Western Bulldogs.

At 30 years of age, the Big O is confident that he is good enough to hold his own against AFL opponents if called to do so. Tigers fans will be hoping that he becomes a viable option to give key player Ivan Maric some much needed breaks during the season, as well as being able to help protect young ruck-forward Ty Vickery from being battered by the seasoned bodies of AFL ruckmen.

Date of Birth: 15-07-1982
Recruited from: Geelong Cats
Drafted: Pick 33, 2012 rookie draft
Height: 200 cm
Weight: 104 kg
Position: Ruck

Games: 8
Goals: 1

 

[Spluff]

The Big O started his career for Richmond in the Indigenous All-Stars match, lining up as the no. 1 ruckman. In the first half he did a remarkable job impersonating a step-ladder for athletic ruckman Paddy Ryder, before recomposing himself in the second half and doing a pretty solid job competing in the ruck contests, as well as drifting forward to kick 2 goals.

It's fair to say that this is O's first real exposure to athletic, high-jumping ruckmen of the calibre of Ryder, and that he will be hoping to learn from his experience so that next time he comes up against one, he'll be able to hold his own.

 

[Roachy8]

Post is to acknowledge cool thread title...

 

[Heisenberg_]

The big O showed today he will be very good back up for big Ivan.
Handled Bellchambers, Ryder and Hille very well today

 

[Spluff]

Definitely looked a lot better in his first NAB cup game vs Essendon, moved well, got a lot of effective possessions, and competed very well in the ruck against 3 separate opponents. Tired late, but that was understandable.

14 possessions, 19 hitouts (most on ground), and a point for the Big O today.

Very good performance, and reassuring to know that he has what it takes to keep us competitive if Maric goes down.

 

[Heisenberg_]

Loved that big pack mark he pulled down early in the last quater, something I don't recall seeing Graham ever do.

 

[Spluff]

After a series of dominant efforts in the VFL, the big O got his first shot in the Richmond colours today. With the concussion of Vickery and the hobbling of Maric, he played essentially as our number one ruckman, and acquitted himself very well. With 28 hitouts (the most in the game), 5 marks and 11 touches, he was arguably the best ruckman in the game.

His tapwork was a highlight, directing many hitouts down the throat of our midfielders. He was certainly more effective than Maric at directing the ball to our players. It is worth noting that at points of the game he was rucking against J. Westhoff, who offered little to no resistance, which may have made him look better than he normally would. His good tapwork was backed up by some great work around the ground, taking a few strong marks, and generally using the ball well (there was one turnover of note - but at this point it was the exception, not the rule).

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Spluff

Found this article on the Big O this morning. Nice little read about his family and how he still lives in Ballarat.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-05-17/a-family-affair

 

[Spluff]

Thanks NUFC.

O didn't have a great game this week, he was clearly just not strong enough to go with Jamar in the ruck. His possessions were few, but they were quite classy. He's likely to go back to the VFL next week, with Maric coming in to take his place against Essendon.

 

[Turka]

Thanks NUFC.

O didn't have a great game this week, he was clearly just not strong enough to go with Jamar in the ruck. His possessions were few, but they were quite classy. He's likely to go back to the VFL next week, with Maric coming in to take his place against Essendon.

His spot on our list is already justified. He lifted us to a win against Port Adelaide, where a loss would've broken our season.
And not only that, he knows exactly where he's at.
A great clubman and a class act.