Ryan O'Connor is one of the strongest players at Essendon. For his height, he is the heaviest player, and he uses it to tremendous effect. He tackles better than a wrestler, and breaks through tackles more often than a wrestler. Combine this with confidence to jump into packs, grab the ball and emerge victorious, and then deliver the ball with skill, and you have a class footballer. He is not as tall as most of the ruckmen around today (for example that huge bloke from Fremantle) but he is still able to contest due to his strength and skill. After playing two great games for Essendon, he was called up into the Allies state squad, and picked to be their ruckman. As if this wasn't testimony enough to his rise to fame, he then starred for the Allies, taking out the Alex Jesaulenko Medal for best Allies player. He suffered a set back this year with a knee injury, but it is hoped that he will return in time for the finals and play a key part there. Essendon has once again uncovered a class ruckman, and this Big guy from Tassie will certainly do well at Essendon in the future.
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