Jaeger O'Meara says he felt emotional as his trade from Hawthorn to Fremantle went through, a little more than 48 hours after the prospect of leaving the Hawks was first raised.
"It was a strange moment when the deal went through yesterday. There was a lot of excitement about that, but I cried a little bit because you're leaving so many good people behind," O'Meara said.
"It's not often you only have 48 hours to decide what you're doing with your life for the next four years, but here we are and I'm really happy to be at Freo."
Tom Mitchell makes it a three-peat of Peter Crimmins Medals, capping a prolific 2021 season with his third Hawks best and fairest award.
Mitchell added to his collection of 2017 and 2018 victories following a season in which he averaged 34.3 disposals per game, comfortably claiming the honour ahead of reliable defender Blake Hardwick and star midfielder Jaeger O'Meara.
Ben McEvoy is the Hawks' surprise choice as captain for the 2021 season with Jaeger O'Meara to serve as vice-captain.
James Worpel is a new addition to the new-look leadership group and joins existing members Liam Shiels, Jack Gunston and Tom Mitchell.
"To be voted in by my teammates and receive the support of the club is an honour," McEvoy said.
"This club has given me a lot over the years, and I see this as an amazing opportunity to give back and play my role in ensuring we continue to make the Hawthorn family proud."
Jaeger O'Meara says he was a 'sounding board' for his close friend Stephen Coniglio during the 2019 multi-club chase for the Giant and admits to fancying him as a Hawthorn teammate.
"We're obviously pretty tight. I was really keen for him to come across if he decided he want to leave the Giants, and we wanted to be the first ones to have a look at him," O'Meara said.
"We sat down numerous times over a coffee or a beer or whatever to talk about it, and it wasn't necessarily me trying to pester him. I was saying, 'If you need to chat about any of this, then give me a call'.
"At the end of the day, he was happy at the Giants. I think he's made the right decision for him and his family and got an incredible contract and one he thoroughly deserves."
Jaeger O'Meara says he thinks the increase in list sizes in recent seasons has 'diluted' the talent pool.
"There are so many players across the competition and maybe the talent gets a little bit diluted at the backend of lists," O'Meara said.
"I think decreasing list sizes could potentially make the feeder competitions a lot better, and then the guys who maybe needed another two or three years at a lower level come in and they're a lot better equipped for the rigours of AFL footy."
Ben Stratton will captain the Hawthorn Football Club for a second-straight season in 2020, with six other players making up the rest of the leadership group.
Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O'Meara have been named co-vice captains, with Mitchell joining the leadership group for the first time.
Jack Gunston was the sole vice-captain last year, but has chosen to relinquish his title. Gunston has remained in the leadership group however, with Isaac Smith, Liam Shiels, Ben McEvoy rounding out the group.
"It's been a big 12 months of development, both for us as leaders and for the wider playing group," Stratton said.
"I'm confident the experience and lessons learned will only strengthen my leadership going forward, and I'm excited to see what 2020 brings."
James Worpel becomes the youngest winner of the Peter Crimmins Medal in 48 years after being named Hawthorn's club's best and fairest for 2019 at just 20 years old.
Worpel polled 115 votes to win from revitalised winger Ricky Henderson (104) and fellow young star Jaeger O'Meara (103).
Jaeger O'Meara might be in outstanding form, but Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson cautions it's too early to declare Hawthorn's trade for him a success.
"Jaeger's into his third year. He missed most of his first year here while we rebuilt him, strength-wise, and he got going a little bit last year, and even this year he's had to miss some games," Clarkson said.
"He's not going to be incident-free for the rest of his career, but if we can get to the sixth or seventh year and he's then played 100 games for our footy club, then we reckon he'll have made a contribution and been a real worthwhile exercise."
Jaeger O'Meara signs a four-year extension, keeping him at Hawthorn until the end of 2023.
O'Meara is leading a depleted Hawks midfield this season with career-best numbers, averaging 28.7 disposals (11 contested), one goal, 7.7 tackles, 6.7 clearances and 5.7 inside 50s.
"He's become such an important player for us, not only through his on-field performance but also from a leadership sense as well," Hawthorn football boss Graham Wright said.
"He sets a great example for his teammates with his professionalism and work ethic. We're excited to watch his continued development over the coming years."
Jaeger O'Meara says he will enter the 2019 season without any apprehension about his past knee injuries.
"Probably, initially, when I was first coming back from the injury, I might have had a little bit of anxiety and fear I had to get over," O'Meara said.
"The only way to do that was to actually play footy again. I feel like I'm past that now and I can just focus primarily on football and my role for the team, so it's not really in the back of my mind anymore."
Ben Stratton will replace Jarryd Roughead as the Hawks' captain in 2019.
Jack Gunston will serve as Stratton's deputy, with Smith, Shiels and newcomers Jaeger O'Meara and Ben McEvoy rounding out the club's official leaders.
"Some of his best qualities will relate to who he is as a person and his values and behaviours," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said of Stratton.
"He doesn't care so much about himself as an individual as he does about his mates, and that's why it's such an endearing quality that has all his teammates just loving playing with this guy."
With Hawthorn locking up a top-four spot, Jaeger O'Meara will taste finals action for the first time in his AFL career.
"When I figured out that we had secured the top-four spot, I was just ecstatic and couldn't really wipe the smile off the face – I felt like a little kid," he said.
"I played in a Grand Final when I was 16 at my local club (Railways), back home in Dongara (about 350 kilometres north-northwest of Perth), and it took me back to that moment, so I was pretty pumped."
Jaeger O’Meara is cautiously optimistic about the progress of his recovery from a knee injury.
"I’ve been able to do most, if not all, of the program so far," he said.
"It’s obviously early days in the pre-season, so I’m keeping a lid on it, but it is feeling great and I’m really happy with how it’s going."
From spending nearly four months on the sidelines, O’Meara learnt how the footy media bubble worked, particularly for a newcomer to Melbourne.
"I’ve learned to deal with it. It took a bit of getting used to when I first arrived at the club, but I’ve taught myself to block it out and stay focused on what I need to focus on," he said.
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says Jaeger O'Meara's recovery from last Saturday's VFL comeback was so impressive that he was compelled to select the gun recruit for a senior return against Carlton this week.
"Part of his return was to give consideration whether he came straight back in, but we just thought it was better for him and us that he had a run around at Box Hill," Clarkson said.
"He recovered so well from that game that we think that it's valuable rather than coming in for just one game, which would be the last game of the year probably for us, that he gets a couple of goes at it."
Jaeger O'Meara is content to play out the season in the VFL, saying he is "thrilled" just to be playing again after overcoming his knee problems.
"I was itching to go when I found out during the week I was playing, so, yeah, it was really good just to have the first hit-out … it was just really fun to be out there playing footy again and doing what I love to do," he said.
"I played the three quarters and tick that box and then will look to increase my game time coming this week."
Jaeger O'Meara dominates in his first hit-out at any level in 15 weeks with 29 possessions (16 contested), six clearances, seven tackles, and three goals for the Box Hill Hawks against Essendon at Windy Hill.
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says it is imperative that Jaegar O'Meara plays some football in 2017 for a host of reasons.
"He's back into a full training program and we're hoping he'll play in three or four weeks," Clarkson said.
"We want him to play before the end of this year. I think that's good for him, I think it's good for our footy club that our supporters see that perhaps all this innuendo around whether he's ever going to play again and how he's going to be able to stand up (is baseless). I think it will be good for our supporters to see that his body's going to be OK."
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says it's crucial Jaegar O'Meara plays some form of football for the rest of 2017.
"We think it's good for him and us if he gets up, even if it's two or three games, and even if that's at Box Hill and not senior footy, we think it's important for him and his rehab," Clarkson said.
"He's played very little footy for the best part of two and a half years now. It's good for him and good for us if we can get him playing.
"We won't be putting him in cotton wool, because any footy that he plays at the back end of the year will be handy for him and us."
Luke Hodge has urged for patience with recruit Jaeger O'Meara and is adamant he will be a "gun" for the Hawks despite his continued knee-related absence.
"I think their priority is making sure this guy is going to be playing at the footy club for the next eight to 10 years – not rushing him back because they're getting a little bit of media pressure on him," Hodge said on Triple M.
"I'd prefer to miss him for half a year or 20 games if he could play for eight years.
"That is the priority of getting him in, because the bloke he is, the player we saw throughout the pre-season, when he gets his body right, he'll be a gun for the Hawthorn footy club."
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says the club is still unsure on Jaeger O'Meara's return from a knee injury.
"We thought (it) was going to settle pretty quickly but with bone bruising it could be one week or it could be four," Clarkson said.
"Aside from the fact it's the same knee he's had patella trouble with, that's the only (similarity) with what's happened with him in the past."
Clarkson was also critical of the media scrutinizing the Hawks' decision to recruit the injury plagued midfielder.
"Give it the fullness of time, for goodness sake," he said.
"One's over a longer term and one's over a short term. Jaeger's been at our footy club for four weeks (and) the hysteria around that is just mind-boggling."
Hawthorn remains confident highly-prized recruit Jaeger O'Meara's knee injury isn't anything more than a corkie, despite the midfielder missing yet another game this weekend.
"It's a totally separate issue to what he's had in the past. I think it was a fresh knock that he's received which is a good thing," Hawthorn teammate Shaun Burgoyne said of O'Meara's injury.
"He's not quite right so they'll take the cautious approach with him, which I think is a great thing to do.
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says the knock to Jaeger O'Meara's right knee is not believed to be related to the Hawthorn onballer's persistent problems with the joint.
"He's obviously got history with the knee and we just wanted to settle it the best we can," Clarkson said.
"From what we can gather, it's got nothing to do with (past issues) – albeit that it's a knock to the same knee that's been sore previously."
Jaeger O'Meara says he is still adapting to life as a Hawk and the pace of the game.
"It's been good to play with new teammates at Hawthorn; getting to know how everyone plays and trying to create that synergy," O'Meara said.
"Obviously, I haven't played for two years, so the speed of the game has changed a bit – it's a bit more free-flowing than what I previously played in.
"So (I'm) slowly getting used to that and the speed of the game again."
In only his second game since round 23, 2014, Jaegar O'Meara tallies a career-high 36 possessions (19 contested) in the Hawks' loss to Adelaide at the MCG.
"He's coming back from a serious knee injury and it's super positive for the group to have him up and about," Hawthorn teammate Shaun Burgoyne said.
"He's only going to get better, and he's confidence in his body is only going to grow as well. He's working really hard and we're probably just leaving it up to too few to carry the workload. To see where he's come from in the last couple of years, he's only going to get stronger.”
Jaeger O'Meara is optimistic his troublesome knee will hold up for his debut season at the Hawks after two impressive outings in the JLT Community Series.
"It's good to get some consistency and play two games in a row. I am confident in the knee," he told Fairfax Media.
"I was confident I would be playing footy pretty quickly but I'm just taking it as it comes and pleasingly everything is going really well at the moment.
"This is just how I am. This is my body. I have had a knee injury and I will continue to look after that and see how it goes but I'm confident I will play consistent footy this year."
Leading sports medico Dr Peter Larkins says he has doubts as to whether Jaegar O'Meara's knee will hold up to the rigors of training.
O'Meara hasn't played any senior football in the past two seasons after tearing his patella tendon in a 2015 NEAFL practice match for former club Gold Coast.
"I think it's a crystal ball guess as to whether or not his knee will cope with AFL training levels," Larkins said.
"The issue for him is whether he can load up enough training to make AFL fitness levels without getting more kneecap soreness.
"That's been his issue through the whole of 2016 and arguably 2015 – he hasn't been able to train to get up to play."
The AFL rejects a report that questioned the legality of the trade deal in which Hawthorn landed Jaeger O'Meara.
News Corporation reported on Wednesday morning that the League had rubber-stamped the Hawks' wish to trade away its first two picks in next year's NAB AFL Draft – a move it claimed was in contravention of AFL rules – to clinch O'Meara.
News Corporation cited an AFL rule that states: "Should a club trade its future first round selection, it may not trade any other future selection for that same draft."
"The full wording of the rule says it is to be treated as a net result," AFL media relations manager Patrick Keane said.
"If you trade out a (future) first-round selection, you must have a (future) second-round selection.
"So therefore, once they traded in a second-round selection, they were then able to trade out either that second-round selection or their own second-round selection.
"The club still retains a second-round selection in next year's draft."
Hawthorn lands Jaeger O'Meara within the final half an hour of the NAB AFL Trade Period after a tortuous negotiation with Gold Coast.
O'Meara, 22, requested a trade to the Hawks on September 13 but the deal was completed just nine minutes before the deadline after Carlton came to the rescue with a last-minute pick swap.
With 90 minutes remaining, Hawthorn began to negotiate a future second-round selection from Carlton after giving the Blues picks 48, 66 and 70 in this year's NAB AFL Draft.
This allowed Hawthorn to send its own 2017 second-round pick to Gold Coast, along with pick No.10 for Jaeger O'Meara.
Gold Coast has refused Hawthorn's offer for Jaeger O'Meara and accused the Hawks of not delivering on the promises they offered the wantaway star.
Suns chairman Tony Cochrane confirmed negotiations with the Hawks were at a stalemate and said they were prepared to lose O'Meara for nothing in the pre-season draft.
Cochrane said the Hawks would be doing O'Meara a disservice if they didn't improve their offer for the talented young midfielder.
"If they were to walk away here what a disgraceful way to treat Jaeger O'Meara," Cochrane said.
"They've promised this bloke the world and they're going to hand him an atlas."
But Cochrane still held out some hope the 22-year-old might change his mind about moving to Melbourne and stay at Gold Coast.
"We'd love him to reconsider," Cochrane said in an interview with SEN.
"He said at the time that it was a tough decision, he could see we had a bright future, he could see the hard work we've been putting into bringing real success and real belief to the Gold Coast footy club. It was a tough call on his behalf to pick Hawthorn."
Cochrane said the club had to make a stand because it didn't want to be a training ground for young players who would eventually walk out.
"Hawthorn's picked an appalling year to try and grab somebody like an O'Meara off of us," he said.
"This particular year … we've got an absolutely bottler of a group of (draft) picks.
"If ever we were going to make a stand, this is the year to do it."
Gold Coast football manager Marcus Ashcroft says up to eight Hawks have been put up for discussion at the trade table to help get Jaegar O'Meara to Hawthorn.
"We're not going to go into the individual names of those players, but there would be anywhere between 6-8 players discussed," Ashcroft said.
"That, coupled with draft selections, it's all part of the mix."
Jaeger O'Meara's manager Colin Young says Hawthorn's medical team ticking off his client's troublesome knee was "very" influential in the wantaway Gold Coast star's decision to seek a trade to Waverley.
O'Meara hasn’t played senior football for two years after rupturing his patella tendon and wants a move to the Hawks after previously working with experienced club doctor Michael Makdissi.
"Jaeger has a relationship with Michael back from the AIS days, when Jaeger said they met they clicked and obviously with Burgoyne back in the day it really got to him," Young said.
"So he was pretty happy that all the planets lined up and Hawthorn was the one.
"It's always a risk because of two years out of the game but they (Hawthorn) think he can (get back to play) and they've got the proof in the pudding."
Jaeger O'Meara has nominated Hawthorn as his preferred destination after requesting a trade from Gold Coast.
"Jaeger has indicated he wants to be at Hawthorn in 2017 and we are keen to make this happen," Hawthorn recruiting and list manager Graham Wright said.
"We fully respect that Jaeger is a Gold Coast player and we will work closely with the Suns in the lead up to the trade period to ensure we can get an appropriate deal done."
Gold Coast will make Hawthorn work for Jaeger O'Meara's services after the 22-year-old declared the Hawks his preferred destination in the upcoming trade period.
"Today we were advised from the Hawthorn Football Club and Jaeger’s management that the Hawks is Jaeger’s club of choice," Suns football manager Marcus Ashcroft said.
"As has been previously stated, Jaeger is on the market to a club that can provide us compensation we are prepared to accept."
Suns coach Eade downplays the significance of losing Jaeger O'Meara, describing commentary surrounding the announcement of his departure as "hysteria".
"He's a player and he's going, wants to go, doesn't mean he'll get to where he wants to go," Eade said.
"Then there's an option he might be staying, I don't know.
"Footy clubs are fantastic places, they just move on.
"I don't know what the hysteria is. He's gone or going, we'll find someone else."
Jaeger O'Meara requests a trade from Gold Coast after five years at the club.
"As Jaeger doesn't qualify as a free agent, AFL rules dictate he holds no rights to determine his destination of choice," Suns chairman Tony Cochrane said.
"With that being the case, Jaeger is on the market to a club that can provide us compensation we are prepared to accept.
"Should an appropriate exchange not be met he will have the option to enter the draft. It's the right time for the club to make a stance."
Carlton has officially declared it's in the race to lure star midfielder Jaeger O'Meara away from Gold Coast.
O'Meara is due to come out of contract at the end of this season but is yet to make a decision on his future.
"We've spoken to his management but there's a lot of management that we're speaking to at the moment, just to test the water," Carlton CEO Steven Trigg told 3AW radio.
"I think a lot of the competition would be looking at Jaeger and seeing whether he can get up and play for the rest of the year and just how that knee is going, and same [for] the Suns."
Gary Ablett wants Jaeger O'Meara and Dion Prestia to stay on the Gold Coast, but says he is putting no pressure on the out-of-contract duo to recommit.
"Obviously we want those two guys hanging around the football club," Ablett said.
"They're a big part of this football club, they're valued around this football club and they're important to our football side.
"I know for Jaeger it was about getting back and playing a few games first before they started talking contracts, and I don't know where it's at with Dion, but I'm sure the club is pushing hard, and hopefully we can get both of those guys locked away in the next month or so."
Jaeger O'Meara says he is happy to have gotten through his first game of football in 15 months on Saturday.
O'Meara was a late inclusion in the Suns' NEAFL team to play Southport and was the best player afield in the first half, tallying 15 disposals and setting up two goals before watching the second half from the boundary line.
"It's a surreal feeling," he said.
"I haven't played for a long time and to get the first one out of the way and get through unscathed and feeling good about myself, it's awesome.
"It's just great to be back out there and playing footy because that's what I love to do."
Jaeger O'Meara's management has angrily denied suggestions AFL clubs have been told an asking price if they hope to secure the out-of-contract Sun.
"We have said all along Jaeger would not be speaking to any club, whether it be his own club Gold Coast or any other club in the AFL, until he has played a substantial amount of football in 2016," O'Meara's manager Colin Young said.
"To think that management would be speaking to any club and seeking any price at this stage is absolutely ridiculous."
Jaeger O'Meara takes a major step forward in his recovery from a ruptured patella tendon, training with Gold Coast's main group for the first time.
"It was good just to get around the boys and just be a footy player again. It was really fun," O'Meara said.
"In the grand scheme of things it's a really small step but for me, I haven't been able to train with the main group for a long time and even though I've got the orange hat on so no-one can touch me out there, it was still good just to be around the boys and have that camaraderie."
Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett says he hopes the changes implemented at the Suns over the past year will be enough to convince young star Jaeger O'Meara to recommit to the club.
"I've already spoken to him about it and I've said it's his decision and he needs to make the decision on what he feels is right for him and his family," Ablett said.
"But there's been some changes made around our football club and we all sat down at the end of the year – the leadership group and playing group – and spoke about the areas we needed to improve.
"Jaeger voiced his concerns and we feel like we've made some changes in those areas. Hopefully that's enough for him to stay."
Jaeger O'Meara has been dealt another setback and will not make his comeback from knee surgery for another six weeks.
O'Meara ruptured his patella tendon last April and was set for a round one return at NEAFL level, but a recent arthroscope on the knee has cost him more time.
"He had a bit of a scan of the tendon, and it's pristine and has good strength, but he had a flap on his patella and he had an arthroscope to trim that and it put him back a couple of weeks," Suns coach Rodney Eade said.
"We'd like to think he could start playing some football, obviously the NEAFL first up, probably round four or five."
Jaeger O'Meara says he is in no rush to return for round one and is prepared to take as long as he needs to get his knee injury right.
"It'll be the 12-month mark in round one, but if I need an extra couple of weeks, or if I need an extra month or two, I'm willing to take that to lengthen my career," O'Meara said.
"It's not so much all about playing round one, everyone thinks round one is the grand final at the moment.
"I'm more focused on playing long term this season and also long term for my career."
Jaeger O'Meara says he has no interest in talking to Melbourne clubs and wants to make a full recovery from his devastating knee injury before opening contract negotiations.
"I'd like to think I'm a loyal person and I'm not interested in speaking to other clubs at this stage," O'Meara said.
"I've advised my manager and I've spoken to the club and our general manager (Marcus Ashcroft) and list manager (Scott Clayton) and I've let them know I want to get back to playing consistent senior footy, and once I'm able to do that, then I'm sure discussions will start to take place."
Jaeger O'Meara’s hopes of being available for round one are rising, with the Gold Coast midfield ace now running up to six kilometres a session.
It has been a long recovery for the 21-year-old after he missed the entire 2015 season with a ruptured patella tendon, but coach Rodney Eade is quietly optimistic about his star's prospects.
"Jaeger's running really well, he's getting five to six kilometres every session," Eade said.
"We'll build that up to 10 or 12k and then add speed and agility, and then he can join in and do some footy work as well.
"At this stage, he's a bit ahead of schedule of where we thought he'd be."
Jaeger O'Meara will be right to play round one next season, but Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade admits he has concerns whether the star midfielder will return to his best.
"We're confident he'll be right. He's going to give himself every chance because he's very professional," Eade said.
Jaegar O'Meara has successful surgery on his torn patella tendon.
"The good news out of the bad news is his patella tendon was intact," Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade said.
"He didn't sever that, he didn't rupture that, he pulled it off the bone. That was the extreme force that went through his leg when it was hyperextended."
Jaeger O'Meara is expected to miss the rest of the season after rupturing his patella tendon on Saturday.
O'Meara dislocated his knee playing for the Suns' reserves in a practice match against the Brisbane Lions and scans confirmed the bad news.
It was O'Meara's first match back after undergoing patella surgery on both knees in London during the off-season.
"We've spoken to the surgeon in London and our doctor has spoken to the doctors in Brisbane; it just seems like a freak accident," Suns coach Rodney Eade said.
"He went to soccer the ball and a guy came across his knee front on and hit him and hyperextended his knee, so actually snapped the tendon that way.
"He'd be out for the season, I would think.
"We haven't been notified yet (if surgery's required) but if he's ruptured the tendon, he'll have to get that sewn back together."
Jaeger O'Meara will require surgery after rupturing his patella tendon on Saturday.
O'Meara dislocated his knee playing for the Suns' reserves in a practice match against the Brisbane Lions and scans confirmed the bad news.
It was O'Meara's first match back after undergoing patella surgery on both knees in London during the off-season.
Football operations manager Marcus Ashcroft said it was too early to confirm the specific surgery or an expected return date for the 2013 NAB Rising Star winner.
"The results of Jaeger's scans have confirmed he has ruptured his patella tendon," Ashcroft said.
"Jaeger and the club will determine the most appropriate treatment of the injury in the coming days.
"The anticipated timeframe that Jaeger will be sidelined for is unknown at this stage and will become more apparent following surgery."
Jaeger O'Meara still looks set to miss the Suns' season opener despite clearing every hurdle by some distance in his rehabilitation.
"We had really direct guidelines from the surgeon about what his program would look like. That's been followed to the letter," Suns coach Rodney Eade said.
"The biggest problem has been he's actually smashed every hurdle going along the way. He hasn't had any hiccups.
"He's just about ready to go but we're probably just erring on the side of caution to be honest."
Jaeger O'Meara believes he can get back to his dynamic best after having surgery on his creaking knees.
O'Meara barely trained throughout 2014 due to a degenerative patella tendon in each of his knees, a situation he says cost him fitness and conditioning as the season dragged on.
"The only conditioning I was getting was doing cross-training because my knees weren't able to back up after a game," O'Meara said.
"I was just off my legs for three to four days and then do a light training, mainly just hand skills and cross training.
"I felt like my fitness deteriorated throughout the season."
Jaegar O'Meara will fly to London later this month to undergo surgery on both knees with one of the world's leading specialists.
The Gold Coast midfield star managed to play all 22 games in 2014, but was on a modified program for much of the season.
He will undergo cutting-edge surgery to repair the patella tendons in both knees.
O'Meara is expected to be in recovery for an extended period of time.O'Meara will fly to London later this month to undergo surgery on both knees with one of the world's leading specialists.
The Gold Coast midfield star managed to play all 22 games in 2014, but was on a modified program for much of the season.
He will undergo cutting-edge surgery to repair the patella tendons in both knees.
O'Meara is expected to be in recovery for an extended period of time.
Jaeger O'Meara says he feels the pressure of following up in 2014 after an outstanding debut season in 2013.
"I was really nervous about my first year but I'm probably even a bit more nervous this year because people talk about second-year blues. I'm hell-bent on improving on my first year and improving as a team," O'Meara said.
"It's something I can't get too worried about or worry about what everyone else is saying.
"I'm always going to put pressure on myself and the team, that's the only way I'm going to improve."
After a standout debut season, Jaeger O'Meara says he will continue to improve in 2014.
"A lot of people talk about guys having second year blues. At the moment I'm hell-bent on having a really good pre-season and getting as fit as I can," O'Meara said.
"I want to make improvements on last year. By having a crack this pre-season and doing as many sessions as I can, then I give myself the best chance to do that."
Gary Ablett has kept his perfect record intact, being named as the Gold Coast Suns' club champion for the third straight year.
The star midfielder polled 260 votes to win from Dion Prestia (213) and Jaeger O'Meara (204) in front of a sold-out crowd at the Sharks Event Centre on the Gold Coast.
Queenslanders Rory Thompson (162) and Jarrod Harbrow (149) rounded out the top five.
Jaeger O'Meara has capped off an outstanding debut season by winning this year's NAB AFL Rising Star Award from Adelaide's Brad Crouch, with Port Adelaide's Oliver Wines finishing third.
O'Meara polled 44 of a possible 45 votes to win by 13 votes from Crouch, with Wines finishing on 26 votes ahead of North Melbourne's Aaron Mullett and Sydney Swan Tom Mitchell who tied on 11 votes in equal fourth.
Gold Coast re-signs rising star favourite Jaeger O'Meara for a further two years.
"The club showed enormous faith in me when I was recruited and in doing so provided me a great opportunity," O'Meara said.
"We still have a heap of hard work ahead of us, but I believe we have the chance to build something special here on the Gold Coast, and that's something I really want to be a part of."
AFL Hall of Fame member Tim Watson says Gold Coast prodigy Jaeger O'Meara has the potential to become the greatest midfielder in the history of the game.
"Jaeger O'Meara could quite well go down in history as the greatest midfielder that's ever played the game," Watson said on Melbourne radio station SEN.
"He is unbelievable. You've got to keep reminding yourself that here is a kid in his first season of AFL football at 18 years of age. He has it all.
Jaeger O'Meara says he has high expectations on himself and has set his sights on playing like Gary Ablett.
"It doesn't matter if you get 26 disposals or 10. You've got to make sure that every disposal counts and I think that's something I've learnt off Gary Ablett," O'Meara said.
"He takes pride in every disposal. I had a couple of miskicks on the weekend and I was pretty annoyed at myself and I've just got to keep working on that and make every disposal count.
"It's a tough industry so if you're not a hard marker you're in the wrong sport. I think it's important to be a hard marker on yourself."
Jaeger O'Meara makes his AFL debut for Gold Coast with 12 disposals (8 kicks and 4 handballs), 5 marks, 6 tackles and a goal in a 13-point win over St Kilda.
Friday, 29 March 2013
Jaeger O'Meara says being forced to wait a year before debuting was a positive for him as his body wasn't physically ready for AFL football.
"My body broke down half way through a NEAFL (Queensland state league) season," he said.
"So, if I was to have played AFL, I'm sure I would have broken down within a couple of games.
"I had adductor surgery last year and it was good to get it done, because I feel cherry ripe for round one."
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
After spending a year on Gold Coast's list, Jaegar O'Meara will finally make his AFL debut for the Suns in round one.
"There is a little bit of pressure coming from the expectation but that's more external stuff. I'm pretty determined and focused to do well for the team," O'Meara said.
"I'm definitely very excited. I've been here for 12 months now and it's been a long time coming, so I'm excited to get out there and play some footy with the boys."
Young Sun Jaeger O'Meara says he's thankful of having an extra 12 months to prepare for his first AFL season.
"It's definitely given me time to develop my body and spend time with the coaches and learn the game-plans," O'Meara said.
"It's given me a lot of confidence going into this pre-season. If I got to the club this year I wouldn't have the body I have now. I've put on five or six kilos and I know the game-plan, I know the boys and I can't wait to play."
Monday, 19 November 2012
Gold Coast recruiting boss Scott Clayton says Suns youngster Jaeger O'Meara is as good as anyone in this year's draft.
"I imagine if you asked 17 other AFL clubs, they'd all have him, certainly in the first group," Clayton said.
"Whoever goes number one this year, (I'm) very respectful for what they've done but our footy club's really excited that Jaeger O'Meara's here."
Sunday, 18 November 2012
Gold Coast is set to unleash Jaeger O'Meara who already has the footy world anticipating a brilliant career.
"He is a very level headed young man. I think he has got high expectations of himself but also realistic ones at the same time," Gold Coast football manager Marcus Ashcroft said.
"I think you'll see him going out next year pretty confident in his ability to play senior footy but also realistic that playing AFL footy is a tough caper. He knows that but he is well prepared."
Monday, 2 July 2012
Exciting Suns Jaeger O'Meara and Alex Sexton are both set for season-ending surgery.
"Jaeger's surgery has been on the radar for some time and following consultation with our medical team, the surgeon and Jaeger, we determined that it would be in his best interests to have surgery during the back half of this season," Suns general manager of football operations Marcus Ashcroft said.
Friday, 24 February 2012
The much-hyped Jaeger O'Meara will debut for Gold Coast in the NAB Cup on Saturday night.
"He is the ultimate utility," O'Meara's WA under-18 coach Brad Wira said.
"He can play inside and outside and in the modern day game he is going to be the ultimate player.
"He can play half-back, go on-ball, play half-forward, and if you want he can play full forward; he can play one-out in the goal square with his physical attributes."
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Jaeger O'Meara says he will spend 2012 getting his body right in preparation for round 1 of 2013.
"I've had a fair few injuries this year, so just getting my body right for round one 2013, I've definitely got my sights set on that," O'Meara said.
"It's always been a dream of mine to play AFL and to be given an opportunity somewhere similar to my surroundings that I was brought up in is definitely something I'm looking forward to."
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Gold Coast mini-draft recruit Jaeger O'Meara will spend most of 2012 preparing his body before he can play AFL football in 2013.
"Jaeger, as all footballers do, will want to play footy. But I don't think that will be his priority for us next year and for him,'' Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna said.
"It's more about making sure that his body's ready to go within 12 months. There will be a fair conditioning component of Jaeger's year next year, laced with some footy, rather than the footy dominating and then doing a bit of conditioning.''