WEST Coast stalwart Rohan O'Brien has been hailed for his immense contribution to the club after stepping down from his role as list manager, with the veteran recruiter shaping multiple premiership teams and helping launch the club's latest rebuild in a 33-year career.
O'Brien, who has served the Eagles in multiple recruiting roles and most recently as list manager since 2021, said the time was right to leave his role after three seasons focused on drafting young talent.
He joins chief executive Trevor Nisbett in departing after a difficult period for the club, with the Eagles now launching a search for O'Brien's replacement as list manager two years after the experienced recruiter took over from Darren Glass.
"With the recent draft completed I believe it is the right time to make this call," O’Brien, who earned life membership in 2017, said on Tuesday.
"For the last three years we have focused on attracting the best young talent as we begin to build our list and I believe we are at an exciting juncture.
"We are in the process of a significant transition as we now have one of the youngest lists in the competition and I look forward to seeing the club rise."
O'Brien, who thanked the many colleagues he had worked with over a long career, has been involved in all four of West Coast's premierships after starting with the club in 1990.
His recent decisions to split the Eagles' pick No.2 at last year's draft and recruit local pair Reuben Ginbey and Elijah Hewett, and then hold pick No.1 this year and snare young star Harley Reid, have shaped the early stages of the Eagles' rebuild.
"Rohan has an outstanding eye for talent, is highly regarded across the industry and has made a significant contribution to our club," outgoing CEO Nisbett said.
"We have been very fortunate to have him and I'm sure he will enjoy seeing the crop of youngsters at our club evolve and excel in coming years.
"The task of a recruiter is often thankless and challenging but he has excelled in the field and has done everything within his power to ensure we achieved the best possible outcomes in recruiting and attracting players to our club.
"On behalf of everyone at our club I would like to acknowledge the contribution that Rohan has made to the organisation, the fruits of which we will continue to bear in coming years."
