“IT’S crazy.”
This is debut manifest.
Four years ago, prior to even becoming a Blue, Hudson O’Keeffe set his phone lock screen - a photo of the MCG under lights. He made a pact with himself to not change it until he realised his dream.
Undrafted in 2022, O’Keeffe trained with Essendon over that summer, before he had an incredible week at Carlton where he arrived on a Tuesday in February and was signed just 72 hours later.
Nearly two and a half years after that day, O’Keeffe will pull on the Navy Blue for the first time against arch rival Essendon - all the while doing so under the bright lights of the MCG.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling and hasn’t set in yet: the idea that I’m going to be out there, I’m so excited. I’ve grown up dreaming of this day, and there were times where I thought it wasn’t going to happen.
“It’s crazy to think, the chances of my first game being at night at the MCG. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid - I’ve had that lock screen for four years now.
“I don’t know what I’m going to change it to next… probably a premiership cup.”
O’Keeffe has had to be patient waiting in the wings, playing over 30 games for the Carlton Reserves since 2023 and flipping between the ruck and as a key forward.
He knew late in the week that this was a chance, with Harry McKay unable to complete training on Thursday - when the call was made on Saturday that McKay would be withdrawn from the team, the questions started coming O’Keeffe’s way.
“The last few days have been pretty interesting. I’ve had a fair few messages from people checking in, I didn’t know.
“When I sat down in the locker room and ‘Vossy’ came in to say the good news, it was more relief than anything.”
The self-professed ‘baby’ of the unofficial Kreuzer Academy alongside Tom De Koning and Marc Pittonet, O’Keeffe hopes to showcase some of the traits from the man known around IKON Park as the ‘Tractor’ who also happened to debut against the Bombers some 17 years ago.
“I’ve had a lot of help from a lot of people. As a player, I like to think I play with a bit of presence and aggression - I’ve got a bit of white-line fever.
“They’re the strengths I’ll try to bring: my attack on the footy and my aerial contest.”
