Melbourne Demons Team of the Century member Garry Lyon has heaped plaudits on young North Melbourne midfielder, Finn O'Sullivan.
The Roo has been in the news recently, after superbly shutting down Essendon's most important player, Zach Merrett, in his most recent outing. His dedication to that tagging task, as well as his ability to find plenty of the football himself, led Lyon to compare the youngster and his selfless leadership to one of the greatest captains the game has ever seen.
O'Sullivan is playing so well that Lyon likened him to Hawthorn legend, Luke Hodge.
"(Finn) O'Sullivan is as close to (Luke) Hodge (as it gets)… he's 19, but he looks to me like he's got Hodge qualities. No bulldust," Lyon told SEN.
“I spoke to a couple of North Melbourne people about this – he is as team-first as any player at that footy club. ‘Whatever is best for the team, don't worry about me'.
“'I'll play back pocket, I'll play forward pocket, on the bench, whatever is the best thing for the team'. That is what I love to hear. He has got that Hodge, Mitchell, Lewis (level of) uncompromisingness."
The comments echo the sentiment of Mark Stevens, who, on Monday, told Zero Hanger's Six Points podcast that Richmond may have missed a trick in not selecting O'Sullivan first in the 2024 draft.
"(He is a) very, very good player," Stevens said.
"He was really close to being number one - he was obviously taken at two. I would've taken him ahead of (Sam) Lalor, (as) I think he's an absolute blue-chip performer, this guy. Lalor's good, but I think this Finn O'Sullivan is very good.
"He's going to be more than a tagger. He can mark overhead, he can go forward, he can do the lot. He's a super player."
Fans next glimpse of Finn O'Sullivan will come when the Kangaroos host Carlton in their traditional Good Friday clash.
