Oisín Mullin Discusses Potential All-Ireland Final Return

Oisín Mullin has confirmed he held talks with Mayo boss Andy Moran about a sensational return for the All-Ireland final – only for timing and distance to shut the door on one of the great modern GAA storylines.

The former Young Footballer of the Year, now deep into life as a professional with Geelong, spoke ahead of his club’s clash with Collingwood and revealed that the conversation did take place.

“I did have a chat with the coach back home and obviously Chris (Scott) here,” Mullin told Australia’s Channel 7, acknowledging that Mayo’s new manager had picked up the phone.

The call came at a hectic point in the AFL season. Geelong coach Chris Scott had already lifted the lid on the approach on Fox Sports, explaining that Moran had sounded out the possibility of Mullin making a whirlwind trip: play for Geelong against Melbourne on the Friday night, hop on a plane to Ireland for the All-Ireland final, then fly back to resume his AFL duties.

It was a bold idea. It stayed that way.

Mullin outlined how the link had remained alive since he left for Australia in late 2022. Geelong had allowed him an extended spell at home in the off-season, and Mayo had welcomed him back into training during that window. The bridge between Ballinrobe and Geelong was still standing.

“In the off-season, Geelong gave me an extended period at home and I was fortunate that Mayo let me join them to train in the off-season as well, so there was that connection there,” he said.

“The coach just touched base with me from home and had a chat with Scotty, but the circumstances around where we are in the ladder here and the time of season, it just didn't work out.”

For Mayo supporters, the thought of Mullin – an All-Star and the standout young talent of the 2020 campaign – reappearing on All-Ireland final day would have bordered on fantasy. He had been central to their runs to the deciders in 2020 and 2021, a driving force in a team that repeatedly knocked on the door but never quite burst through it.

This time, he had to watch from the other side of the world.

“I was just excited watching on from here and see the boys get the result and get it done,” he said.

And what a result. After 75 long years, Mayo finally climbed the steps as All-Ireland champions again. For a county defined as much by heartbreak as by hope, the release was seismic.

“It was massive. It's been 75 years since they've won it. There's been so many finals that Mayo have played in and not managed to get over the line,” Mullin said.

“To finally get it done, the whole county has gone into lockdown. The celebrations are off the charts, it looks unbelievable.”

The scenes back home played out on his screen in Australia, a reminder of the world he left and the one he now inhabits. Mullin is in his fourth season with Geelong, having featured in last year’s AFL Grand Final, where the Cats fell to back-to-back premiers Brisbane Lions.

At 26, he stands at the intersection of two elite sporting cultures: a proven All-Ireland final performer in one code, a Grand Final player in another. Mayo dared to ask the question. Geelong listened. Mullin weighed it all up.

In the end, the calendar won.

The medal, though, finally found its way to Mayo. And somewhere in Geelong, one of their own watched a county’s burden lift, knowing just how close he came to stepping back into the story.