Michael O'Loughlin Biography

Michael O’Loughlin is appointed as Chair of Selectors for the 2025 Indigenous All-Stars match.

“His football record speaks for itself but he has also been an immense leader amongst the Indigenous community and continues to give back to through his work on numerous foundations and through his business," AFL Executive General Manager of Social Policy and Inclusion Tanya Hosch said.

“He epitomises the on- and off-field excellence and community spirit that characterises the Indigenous All Stars side and we are thrilled to have him on board leading the selection next year."

Michael O'Loughlin reveals his severe bout of homesickness when he joined the Swans.

"I was devastated to go to the Swans. I remember ringing home every day wanting to come home. She said, 'Your going to thank me for this one day. Just stick it out. Anyway, you can't come home your bed's gone. One of your cousins has got it," O'Louglin said.

As a proud Narrungga and Ngarrindjeri man growing up in Adelaide, O'Loughlin spent a great deal of time on the York Penninsula at Point Pearce and around the Coorong at Point McLeay.

Coming from a big extended family was important for O'Loughlin and his development, and football played a massive part in his family's life.

"My earliest football memory was being in the backyard kicking the footy with my Uncles. Growing up, you'd be sitting around at night and you'd hear your father or your uncles talking about how good a certain player was. It was really important," he said.

Adam Goodes makes a rare appearance alongside premiership teammate Michael O'Loughlin and renowned Australian rapper Senator Briggs in a fun take on an important COVID-19 message about social distancing, isolation measures, and dealing with the impact of the global pandemic.

Michael O'Loughlin resigns as coach of the Sydney Swans academy to pursue business interests.

O'Loughlin has been head coach of the academy for more than two years, but will continue to assist on a casual basis.

"I’ll always be involved with the Swans, I love this place and I’ll continue to be involved in the academy in some capacity," O’Loughlin said.

"What we’ve been able to contribute to the landscape in NSW – we’re up to 580 kids and over 70 coaches – compared to when I got here in 1994, is just staggering."

Michael O'Loughlin is inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

"I got cut down in terms of injuries and soft-tissue stuff, and pretty much had to change my body," O'Loughlin said.

"If it wasn't for (coach) Paul Roos, I probably would've ended my career pretty early."

Michael O'Loughlin heads back to the Swans as head coach of their academy, a role recently vacated by newly-appointed Melbourne coach Paul Roos.

"This is a great challenge and one I am really looking forward to getting stuck into," O'Loughlin said.

"I have been in Sydney almost 20 years since joining the Swans and have seen just how far AFL has come as a code in that time.

"The establishment of the academy is one of the most significant steps for AFL development in New South Wales and I am really looking forward to helping grow what we hope will be the next generation of Swans players."

Michael O'Loughlin has been inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions for his achievements as a Sydney Swan.

"It is a fitting recognition of Michael's contribution and more broadly the impact the Sydney Swans have had over time," AFL development manager David Matthews said.

"Michael was an outstanding player and is developing as a tremendous coach and mentor. He has come from an outstanding environment at the Swans."

Michael O'Loughlin is the new AIS-AFL Academy high-performance coach.

"Michael brings an enormous amount of knowledge and experience," AFL development manager David Matthews said of O'Loughlin's appointment.

"His leadership on and off the field as a player was outstanding and he has excelled in managing AFL programs this year, including his role as an AIS-AFL Academy mentor."

Former Swan Michael O'Loughlin has won the 2009 Madden Medal, awarded by the AFLPA to a player who has recently retired and who demonstrated outstanding on-field football achievements.

"I think I got everything out of myself by playing through injuries and getting through that side of things. The off field stuff was certainly important, particularly in Sydney where we are trying to promote the game," O'Loughlin said.

Adam Goodes urges his teammates to rally for retiring Swans Michael O'Loughlin, Leo Barry and Jared Crouch in their final game for the club against Brisbane.

"I really want to enjoy it, and the only way you can really enjoy it is winning games of football and really trying hard," Goodes said.

"I really hope the blokes switch on and learn from what's happened today and give 110 per cent next week for four quarters.

"I know that's what I'll be aiming to do and I just hope that everyone else can do that for 'Mickey O', Leo and 'Crouchie'."

Goalkicking legend Tony Lockett will make a rare appearance at the footy to watch good mate Michael O'Loughlin play in his 300th game.

"It's very hard to find the words which speak highly enough of Mick," Lockett said.

"It's been an unbelievable effort. I remember when he first started with the club. He was like any normal kid who went about his business, but you could tell he was very polished and had the skills.

"You couldn't have said then he'd play 300 games. How could you? But he had the potential to play a lot of games."

Swans veteran Michael O'Loughlin tries to play down the hype surrounding his coming 300th game against Richmond.

"I've been around long enough to know you've still got to prepare the way you've always done to get up for the weekend," O'Loughling said.

"And nothing will change that side of things. And Richmond are coming off a good win so they've got a bit to play for as well.

"But I'll try to keep a bit of a lid on it it's more about organising people coming to the game with family and friends."

Sydney Swan Michael O'Loughlin has tipped Melbourne's Liam Jurrah to become a future star.

"I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times and he's an outstanding prospect," O'Loughlin said.

"To see him come in and play the game and have an impact in the forward line for Melbourne has been outstanding. What's he's done at Melbourne has been phenomenal."

Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos calls for "day to remember" on club stalwart Michael O'Loughlin's 300th milestone game.

O'Loughlin will become the first Swan to play 300 games against Richmond at the MCG.

"It is important that the club puts on a show for Micky O as he is a club legend," Roos.

"He has been a stalwart of the club for many a year. We want to make it a day to remember, and it is a very proud day for the club."

Sydney Swans forward Michael O'Loughlin says departing teammate Barry Hall should be remembered for his achievements rather than his indiscretions after Hall announced his retirement from the Swans in the midst of a two-game suspension for striking.

"With what he's been able to do - switch from another club, come up here and pretty much be the face of the footy club and to captain the premiership side, he's been an outstanding player," he said.

"He's obviously thought it through for a fair bit and I'm just going to miss the guy. He's a great friend of mine, we've obviously played a lot of footy together and we've had some great times."

Former Sydney Swans coach Rodney Eade says retiring Michael O'Loughlin was a pleasure to coach.

"He gave me a call yesterday about 10 o'clock to tell me he was going to retire, which was nice," he said.

"We had a good chat. I think he'll be considered as one of the greats of the club. He'll be the first player there to reach 300 games, and he's played in three grand finals and won a best and fairest, and was very unlucky for a second.

"He was All Australian, so it's a pity it's going to end the way it is because talking to him yesterday, mentally, he feels good. Most of the time, it's the other way around."

Adelaide midfielder Nathan van Berlo says he expects the Swans to come out firing this weekend after forward Michael O'Loughlin announced his retirement.

"Michael O'Loughlin has been a great servant for the Sydney Swans and I know they're close as a playing group and will have a lot of feeling about that," van Berlo said.

"I'd like to think it wouldn't have any impact on how we prepare for the game. For them it might have a slight impact, but we'll be doing all we can to control it."

Michael O'Loughlin is set to announce his retirement from the Sydney Swans today.

Swans coach Paul Roos rates Michael O'Loughlin as one of the best people he has been involved with in football.

The 32-year-old, with 293 games to his name, announced on Tuesday that 2009 would be his final year of AFL football. He is set to become the club's first 300-game player by playing out the season.

"The thing that we all at the Swans family will remember Mick for is just being Mick," Roos said.

"It's always hard to talk to a group when a player retires but today was as hard as it's been for me because of my relationship with Mick, and also what Mick means to us as a person. He's a great footballer but he's also a fantastic person."

Sydney Swans forward Michael O'Loughlin says the prospect of giving his family a better life was the only thing that stopped him leaving Sydney early in his career.

The Swans' games record holder said his stay at the club would have been much shorter, had he got his own way in the mid '90s.

"Coming in, I didn't think I'd stay here for that long. I'd ring mum and say; 'I want to come home, I want to come home'," O'Loughlin recalled.

"She said; 'There's nothing here for you. Stay there', and I said; 'No, I'm getting on a plane', and she said; 'Well, you haven't got a bed. I gave it to your cousin'. I had no bed to go back to, so I had to stay."

O'Loughlin plans to work with indigenous communities after he steps away from football at the end of the season.

"It's something that I'm very, very passionate about and I'll definitely head that way.

"That's my duty and that's my role and that's what I have to do - to help the indigenous people of this country lead better lives.

"We can go on and talk a little bit of politics but the health situation and stuff like that, that's where I see myself heading and hopefully helping little kids out with that. It's something that I've already been doing for a long, long, long time."

Dale Morris again outpointed a larger opponent in Michael O'Loughlin in the Bulldogs' big win over the Sydney Swans on Saturday.

"He's a very dangerous player, and one who can pop up and kick a lot of goals in a short space of time," Morris said after the game.

"He's got some tricks as well, so I knew leading into the game that I'd have to be right on him because he's still got great agility and pace ... if you blink you can lose him."

Adam Goodes and Michael O'Loughlin throw their support behind the idea of holding a mid-season All Stars game.

"It would be fantastic," Goodes said. "I know in the middle of the season I would be fit and raring to go to play it. I reckon if you rotated it, and had the All Stars game one year, then had the Victoria versus SA Dream Team game the next, I'm all for that."

"I think all the brothers would jump at that chance if they put a game on mid-season," O'Loughlin said.

"Each and every one of them, they are so proud to play in that All Star game in Darwin."

Swans forward Michael O'Loughlin may be running into his best form by the time his 300th game milestone comes around.

"It was seven and a half months since I played my first game against Richmond and I felt a bit out of whack. I was getting my hands on the footy, but it's just great to be back running around," he said.

"Every week I'm improving and when I get six, seven or eight games under my belt, I'll be back to where I was last year.

"The touch is there early now, so I feel okay when I'm getting around the footy. There are few times when I get a bit tired. Fitness-wise, I'm still playing catch-up. But overall, as each week's going past, my body's feeling good and hopefully, another three or four games, I'll be better."

Sydney Swans forward Michael O'Loughlin can't wait for his return to the AFL stage this weekend after undergoing ankle surgery.

"I don't want to be coming in and taking a couple of weeks to find my feet," he said.

"There will be times, obviously, where I'll be blowing, but I want to come back and basically make an impact."

After nine months, Michael O'Loughlin is back.

Sydney's longest-serving player will return to the SCG tomorrow for his first game since injuring an ankle against Carlton in Round 16 last year.

Sydney's games record holder Michael O'Loughlin is battling to be fit in time for 2009 season after undergoing off-season surgery.