Have the Cats found another Irishman set to be a part of their best 22?
Oisin Mullin could debut before the season is out, according to teammate and fellow Irishman Mark O’Connor.
Despite only flying to Australia late last year to join Geelong as a category B rookie, Mullin has impressed with the oval ball.
Plucked out of Gaelic club Mayo in Ireland, the 23-year-old has the athleticism to match it with the best.
“Oisin Mullin, he’s a serious athlete,” O’Connor told SEN Breakfast.
“He’s very, very explosive, very mature, a very nice lad.
“He was probably the best young footballer in Ireland when we picked him up, he won the Young Player of the Year two years running which is a very impressive feat.
“I’m sure it won’t be too long before everyone gets to see him.”
Mullin has played two VFL games for the Cats, gathering 14 and 12 possessions respectively.
Playing behind the ball, he could be in line for a debut sooner rather than later despite his limited Aussie Rules experience.
“He could debut this year. He’s probably just under six foot but he’s just super explosive,” O’Connor continued.
“He played at full-back back home and he would have picked up some of the gun forwards.
“But his speed is probably the highlight. He’d put it up to anyone down here in terms of speed. So that’s very exciting and hopefully he can add the attack into his game and run off half-back.”
If Mullin does find his way into Chris Scott’s best 22, Mullin would join O’Connor and Zach Tuohy as the three Irishman to feature in the Cats’ backline.
Tuohy recently told AFL Media he can see Mullin having an impact “very soon”, comparing his presence in the Gaelic code to that of Nick Daicos in the AFL.
“I'm not sure people realise how big a deal Oisin is in Ireland. He is just about the best young footballer in Ireland. If not the best, certainly one of the best. He was playing at a high level back home, so he has really good professional standards,” Tuohy stated.
“It really would be like pulling Nick Daicos out of the AFL. He was young footballer of the year a couple of times, which is the highest honour you can win at that age. Nick Daicos is probably a really good example, to be honest.”