The rookie list continues to provide a genuine pathway for players to realise their senior AFL dream.

For proof you need look no further than mature-age recruit Zac O’Brien, who has been selected to make his senior AFL debut with the Brisbane Lions this Saturday night against Carlton.

O’Brien has been a relative journeyman in Victorian football circles.

Originally from Wangaratta, he went on to represent Yarrawonga in the Ovens and Murray Football League, before a move to Melbourne in 2012 saw him join Aberfeldie in the Essendon Districts Football League (EDFL) – and coincidentally played under new Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch’s former triple premiership teammate Mal Michael.

“Justin (Leppitsch) will like his aggression. He’s got a bit of mongrel,” Michael told The Weekly Review upon O’Brien’s drafting last year.

“I’m really proud of Zac. He came to us from Wangaratta very raw, aggressive, and he tuned his game.”

O’Brien proved a standout in the EDFL and looked capable of playing at a higher level, so decided to join Essendon’s VFL side where he quickly caught the eye of AFL recruiters.

His persistence certainly paid off in the end, with the Lions drafting him with Pick No.23 in the 2013 AFL Rookie Draft – a day he remembers as the ‘best of his life’.

Now, after a solid pre-season and a string of standout performances at NEAFL level, the 23-year-old has been rewarded with his first senior AFL game.

O’Brien becomes the latest in a long list of Lions rookies to earn their place at senior level.

Two-time premiership player Robert Copeland is probably still the most celebrated former rookie at the Club, while others such as Josh Drummond and Cheynee Stiller have also forged long careers.  

Meanwhile, reigning Club Champion Runner-Up Pearce Hanley headlines five current senior listed Lions players who began their careers as rookies. The others include Jack Crisp, Claye Beams, Mitch Golby, and Justin Clarke.

This Saturday will be O’Brien’s first step in hopefully following in the aforementioned players’ footsteps and becoming a permanent fixture on the senior list.