OISIN MULLIN’S SWITCH to the AFL comes as a hammer blow to new Mayo manager Kevin McStay, with the county set to lose out on the services of the two-time Young Footballer of the Year.
The Kilmaine man’s move Down Under was confirmed last week, 12 months on from the Geelong Cats’ initial announcement that they secured his services.
Mullin remained in Ireland for another season to wear the green and red jersey, but it appears the timing is now right for the 22-year-old.
“There was loads of stuff going on,” James Horan told OTB’s The Football Pod, outlining how Mullin was convinced to stay with Mayo for 2022.
“He was still in college last year. All that. When you factor that stuff in, partners, family, all that kind of stuff, maybe it just wasn’t the time, or he wanted to have another go with Mayo or whatever.
“Things change year by year. It might be right now for Oisin to have a crack at it.
“But we’re lucky. We got a couple of years with him.”
Mayo’s loss will prove to be Geelong’s gain, as Mullin makes the transition to Australian Rules.
“Oisin, an absolutely amazing player. Amazing fella, first of all. And will be a huge success out there,” Horan said.
“There’s no question about it. His power, pace and his courage, and his skillset. I think he’s made for pro sport. So it will be very interesting to see how he is.”
And stepping outside his comfort zone will be no problem for the 2020 All-Star.
“I can remember the first training session that Oisin came to,” Horan detailed.
“We did a box drill. You try out the young guys [against] the old guys. He was marking Chris Barrett. And Chris just wanted to mark his territory. So I think Chris got a little bit of a land. It was great to see. There was quite a physical encounter between the two of them. So it was quite interesting!”
Mullin, who joins fellow Irishmen Zach Tuohy and Mark O’Connor at the AFL side, comes on board as a category B rookie.