Daniel O'Keefe must give football away. Source: Supplied
DANIEL O’Keefe will never get the opportunity to play in a senior footy final.
Now he just wants to be able to swing a golf club again and jog without pain or restriction.
At 26, the Newtown & Chilwell midfielder and former Sydney Swans first-round draft pick has been forced into retirement after breaking down with a serious back injury.
In three weeks’ time, he will have a spinal discectomy to repair three bulging discs that are striking a nerve and causing debilitating back pain that radiates down his legs.
O’Keefe hasn’t been able to get out on a walk since his back finally waved the white flag after years of struggles following a Round 9 match against Grovedale.
“In terms of my footy career, it was every boy’s dream at the start but it didn’t end up turning out that way,” O’Keefe said.
“It’s been a frustrating ride, but a great journey at the same time.”
As the Eagles motored into this year’s GFL grand final, O’Keefe was doing it tough in the background.
He had crossed from Geelong West-St Peter’s to Newtown to play in long-awaited team success alongside Warrnambool connections Tim Brown, Jarrod McCorkell, Tim Horan, Paul Hinkley, Ash Mccorkell and Tauryan Zimmer.
But again, the stars just never aligned.
When the Swans’ reserves side was winning premierships during his time at Sydney as a teenager, O’Keefe was injured.
Last Modified on 04/10/2015 20:20
