O'Rourke was known as an inside midfielder with a hunger for contested football with good speed and endurance. A member of the Calder Cannons, O'Rourke was awarded 2012 All Australian honours following the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
AFL career
Greater Western Sydney
O'Rourke was recruited by the Greater Western Sydney club in the 2012 national draft, with pick 2. His rookie year was blighted by injuries with hamstring problems and a broken jaw. O'Rourke made his debut in round 16, 2013, against Sydney at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[1] O'Rourke spent the early part of the 2014 season playing for the Giants in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL). When he managed to break into the Giants' AFL team he strung together seven successive games before again injuring his hamstring to miss the last game of the season.
Hawthorn
At the end of the 2014 season, he requested a trade back to Melbourne. He nominated Hawthorn as his club of choice and he was officially traded to Hawthorn in October.[2]
O'Rourke spent most of the 2015 season developing in the VFL, he didn't miss a game all season which was a change from being injury ridden at the Giants.
O'Rourke's time since 2015 has been frustrated with a series of hamstring rated injuries.
He missed the majority of 2017 with hamstring related injuries, injuring himself a week before the season then later on mid year.