Hawthorn wheelchair footballer Jeremy O’Halloran says it’s been a dream come true to represent the Hawks in the club’s inaugural VWFL side.
A lifelong Hawks supporter, O‘Halloran was preselected by the club prior to the competition’s draft and says that, despite a lack of early-season results, it’s already been a rewarding experience.
“It’s going really, really well,” O’Halloran said.
“On-field we’re struggling a little bit because we haven’t been able to put together a win yet.
“But I suppose out of all the teams we’re more of a developmental team rather than a ready-to-go team, considering that really only two of us have played any form of wheelchair sport beforehand.”
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Donning the number 23 guernsey in honour of former club champion Dermott Brereton, O’Halloran has represented Australia at the 1988 Paralympics in table tennis and also has plenty of experience playing wheelchair basketball.
But the 51-year-old says that nothing has quite compared to becoming one of the newest members of the Hawthorn family.
“It’s awesome,” O’Halloran said.
“I remember when I was told that I got drafted through to Hawthorn and what was involved and that we were actually representing the mighty Hawks, I was like a kid in a candy store.
“It was just sort of like ‘pinch me’.
“Being a Hawthorn supporter, you dream of getting a bit of a tour through the facilities but to actually be part of it and to be representative of the club is just full on.
“I can’t have wished for anything better.”
Born with arthrogryposis – a congenital deformity that has prevented the normal growth and development of his legs – O’Halloran has spent much of his life with prosthetic legs but has never ceased to play sport, with a career up forward for the Hawks his current focus.
“When my legs stopped growing and my upper body kept growing they amputated both my feet just above the ankle, so I’ve had prosthetic legs pretty much most of my life,” he said.
“So that sort of excluded me from normal, everyday sport but I always had really good hand-eye coordination,”
With five rounds remaining in the VWFL season, O’Halloran and his fellow Hawks will look to notch their first win over one of their four rivals – Richmond, Collingwood, Essendon or St Kilda – while keeping an eye towards building a successful 2019 campaign.
“We’re gelling as a team and we just want to perform as best we can as a team and if we don’t have the success on-field this year then we’ll build towards next year.”
Jeremy O’Halloran, second from the right, talks game plan with his Hawthorn teammates.
