It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Liam O’Brien over the last couple of weeks. Coming into the final Challenger Series event of the season in Newcastle, qualification was in his own hands. After having a shocker heat in the Round of 64, where he couldn’t string together more than a turn, he was forced to sit high and dry and nervously wait out the week for his CT fate to be decided. US surfers Levi Slawson and Dimitri Poulos both came within a heat or two of nabbing Liam’s spot, but in the end Lobby became the fifth Australian male to qualify through this season’s CS.
As Lob gears up for his fifth full season competing against the world’s best, he’s provided us a reminder of exactly what he’s capable of through the release of his latest edit ‘Amalgam’. The 10 minute edit features clips from a recent stint in South America, some heaving slabs in WA and moments from Cyclone Alfred where LOB decided to give mutant XL Burleigh a crack on his own.
There’s no doubting Liam’s ability and it’d be fair to say that he’s capable of winning a few CT events. But, for him, he’s not thinking too far into the future.
“My goals…hmm…not to bog rail haha. I don’t know, I’d like to sit here and tell you that I’m going to win the title and I’m the best thing since sliced bread but the truth is I have no idea what’s possible for me,” he said. “I’m not very good at setting massive goals and slowly reeling them in, I don’t know why but I don’t really operate that way. I just get frustrated and feel like I’m failing when I don’t achieve those lofty goals.”
As we look forward to seeing Lobs precise forehand rail work decimate the Bells bowl, hit the link above for a present reminder of what he’s capable of.
