Ernie O'Rourke
Melbourne and North Melbourne
AFL career
48 games52 goals
- Debut
- R6 1945 v FSC26 May 1945
- Most recent
- R9 1949 v STK13 June 1949
Stats
Bio
Recruited from local side Bentleigh, diminutive rover Ernie "Irish" O'Rourke was residentially tied to the Demons despite early interest from Hawthorn. Standing just 173cm, he made an immediate impact as a nippy forward pocket, enjoying a breakout 1946 season where he booted 28 goals and featured in the Grand Final loss to Essendon. Despite being a regular contributor, O'Rourke struggled to cement a starting spot in the powerful 1948 lineup, frequently named as the 19th man and ultimately missing out on the club's premiership finals campaign after playing his last game for the Demons in Round 18. He rejected an offer from Fitzroy to cross to North Melbourne in 1949 following an impressive pre-season display, adding nine games to his career tally before departing for the VFA and eventually embarking on a long coaching tenure in country Victoria.
Profile
- Born
- 08 Apr 1926
- Died
- 05 Feb 2024 (aged 97y 303d)
- Height
- 173 cm
- Weight
- 71 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from local side Bentleigh, diminutive rover Ernie "Irish" O'Rourke was residentially tied to the Demons despite early interest from Hawthorn. Standing just 173cm, he made an immediate impact as a nippy forward pocket, enjoying a breakout 1946 season where he booted 28 goals and featured in the Grand Final loss to Essendon. Despite being a regular contributor, O'Rourke struggled to cement a starting spot in the powerful 1948 lineup, frequently named as the 19th man and ultimately missing out on the club's premiership finals campaign after playing his last game for the Demons in Round 18. He rejected an offer from Fitzroy to cross to North Melbourne in 1949 following an impressive pre-season display, adding nine games to his career tally before departing for the VFA and eventually embarking on a long coaching tenure in country Victoria.