Former Essendon captain Tim Watson is a big fan of Irish Sydney recruit Barry O’Connor.

The Swans signed O’Connor in June of 2019 to their Category B Rookie List out of Wexford County.

The 20-year-old impressed as a Gaelic footballer and has now caught the eye of Watson.

“I am going to claim this kid before he even starts his AFL career, it’s an Irish kid by the name of Barry O’Connor,” he told SEN Breakfast.

“He has got a great athletic look about him. And just in the simulated practice game they were performing in, I think he is going to be something, I really do.”

Swans coach John Longmire said O’Connor will be developed as a key defender given his size and athleticism.

“He’s a big kid, about 195cm and he’s going to play a key position and we’re teaching him the game at the moment, but he can move,” he said.

“Not only is he big, but he can move and get across the ground and he’s a ripping kid.

“We’re looking forward to how he develops and to get some support down back.”

Longmire believes the key to developing international players is making sure they’re comfortable in their new environment.

“First and foremost, you’ve got to make them feel comfortable living on the other side of the world,” he said.

“It’s a big challenge for those blokes to be able to do that. We let them settle in. We’ve found the Irish blokes we’ve had have been magnificent.

“All of them have been wonderful additions to our club, Colin O’Riordan is a ripper, so we are able to pair them up a little bit and get them used to the city, but also make sure they get used to a lot of the Irish people that live in Sydney and make them feel at home.

“We teach them how to play, get them to look at the rule book and get Dane Rampe to explain to them about not climbing the goal post.”

Listen to John Longmire on SEN Breakfast below