INTERVIEW: Oisín Mullin on return dream and cheering on Mayo from afar

ON Sunday next when the young men of Mayo dance with destiny in Croke Park, one of their own will be in his living room on the shores of Corio Bay south-east of Melbourne. Oisin Mullin played in the 2020 and '21 All-Ireland finals and is now one of the finest players in the AFL with Geelong.

His heart will be with the men in Green and Red when they take on Kerry and the Kilmaine man is adamant that Sam Maguire can come west after the final whistle.

“It's a massive opportunity for Mayo. Kerry are hot favourites, but that can bring its own pressures,” he told The Mayo News from his home in Australia. “We were favourites in '21 against Tyrone and it didn't sit well. This is such a new, young team and that naivety allows the young lads to go and play with such freedom.

“Their confidence is growing every game and if the forwards get going they'll be hard to stop. That gives them every opportunity. As a group, they're nailing down their game more and more every day and with every step it has been building.”

BIG SACRIFICE

Would Mullin love to be on the team bus headed to Croke Park on Sunday afternoon?

“Of course, I'd love to be there, but that's something I understood might happen when I made the decision to leave. It's all part of the sacrifice.

“It's something that comes with the career path I went down, and I had to come to terms with that, but I'm absolutely buzzing for the boys.”

The man from Cloghans Hill rarely gets the chance to watch Mayo live as the games clash with traveling to or from Geelong matches or much-needed rest and recovery. However, he hopped out of the leaba to watch the semi-final against Louth and was impressed with what he saw.

“They gave a clinic. It was a solid 70-minute display, which was good to see.”

THE SILENT FINAL

Mullin wore the green above the red in the two Covid-impacted finals of 2020 and '21. They were very different from the festival of chaos awaiting the teams next Sunday.

“The 2020 final was surreal. Nobody in the stadium. There had been no build-up, no hype, no excitement. It was like a behind-doors training game at times. I remember Dean Rock's goal in the first 30 seconds, and I looked up into an empty Hill 16. There wasn't a sound. It was mad.

“The 2021 final was a completely different atmosphere although the stadium was only allowed to be half full, so I don't really have any exposure to a full Croke Park crowd.

“I'd love to have that day again and in an ideal world the result would go our way, because time passes quickly and each year I stay here, the opportunity (to win Sam Maguire) gets less and less.”

AUSTRALIAN INTEREST

GEELONG had been in touch before that 2020 final and Mullin was conscious that his time in the Mayo jersey might be limited.

“I was meant to go over here (Geelong) in 2020 for a two-week trial and then Covid arrived and I had no contact again from Geelong until after the 2021 final. I was supposed to come over then, but ended up back-tracking and staying at home in Mayo for the 2022 campaign.

“For that whole '22 season I had zero contact from Geelong. It was only after the season it ignited again and I ended up where I am today.”

FLYING THE FLAG

These days, Mullin is one of the finest players in the AFL. He played in the 2025 Grand Final with Geelong and scored an early goal for The Cats. He ended up on the losing side, but embraced the occasion.

“It was very disappointing because, obviously, no matter what you do, you want to win whether that's a game of table-tennis, a Grand Final or an All-Ireland final. My childhood dream was to win an All-Ireland.”

Training will be interesting for Mullin this week with two Kerry men among his team-mates, Mark O'Connor and Cillian Burke.

“Mark has an extra interest this year as his Dingle clubmate Paul Geaney is the captain, but Rachel Kearns and myself will fly the Mayo flag here. Rachel is a fantastic athlete and she's getting ready for the start of AFLW season and the big clash between Ireland and Australia that's coming up on August 1.”

THE KOBE QUESTION

FINALLY, Mullin turns his attention to Kobe McDonald who will grace Croke Park on Sunday before heading off to Australia to join St Kilda

“It's hugely exciting. He's such a talent. He screams confidence, in a good way, and it radiates off him. It's so enjoyable watching him. He's super respectful and on the field it's just his happy place. He just comes to the fore, gets work done, and really enjoys himself while he does it.

“The AFL has changed a lot in the last 10 years. I'm told it used to be a lot more physical and a lot more of an arm wrestle, but that's changing more and more towards opening the game up and putting more speed into it.

“I think he'll make a pretty seamless transition and has the attributes and temperament to succeed in any sport he turns his hand to.”

HOME TO MAYO

WITH McDonald headed for Australia, is there any chance of Mullin moving in the opposite direction to wear the green and red again.

“I'd be hoping to wear the green and red again this year - the green and red of Kilmaine! I'd love to get back and play in the club championship, but the county championship starts early now and by the time we're finished in Geelong, it's over for Kilmaine too.

“Hopefully, this year they're in the running when I'm finished here and I'll get the chance to get back.

“As regards Mayo, I'm contracted here at the moment and loving it. I'm content and happy at Geelong and I'm not in a rush back just yet, but hopefully some day I'll be putting the jersey back on.”

Until then, Mullin will watch from afar and encourage his friends to make their own mark on Mayo sporting lore. Sunday is an opportunity to do just that.