News New Irish Recruit - Oisin Mullin...2022 edition

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D BRIDGE said:
I’d love to hear from Mullin about how he is feeling in his second preseason.

Is he feeling much more confident.

What his expectations are of himself.

Is he training up as a small stopper or if he is expecting to become more attacking with his speed.
Click to expand...
I wanna know how much he weighs.

Sadly that ship has sailed.

Sad Episode 2 GIF by The Office
 

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D BRIDGE said:
I’d love to hear from Mullin about how he is feeling in his second preseason.

Is he feeling much more confident.

What his expectations are of himself.

Is he training up as a small stopper or if he is expecting to become more attacking with his speed.
Click to expand...
"Hey Oisin are you feeling much more confident in your second preseason?"
"Nah not really"
"Okay thanks have a great year"
 
Geelong Cats' Irish Gem Eyes Bigger Role in Post-Smith Era
written by ChatGPT

With the AFL season on the horizon, all eyes are on the Geelong Cats' rising star from Ireland, Oisin Mullin, who had a brief taste of Aussie Rules action in his debut year. Despite his limited game time, Mullin's performances were full of promise, and anticipation is building for what he can bring to the team in his second season.

During his initial outings in the blue and white, Mullin showcased his defensive skills as a small backman, earning praise from fans and the coaching staff. Now, with the retirement of the seasoned wingman Isaac Smith, Geelong is on the lookout for a player to step up, and Mullin seems poised for the challenge.

Throughout the pre-season, Mullin has been working hard to refine his skills, and there's talk among the coaching staff about shifting him into a more attacking role. Despite his limited game experience, the buzz around Mullin is growing, and there's a sense of excitement as he aims to make a more significant impact this season.

Mullin's adaptability and eagerness to learn have endeared him to the team, and as an Irish import, he's quickly adapting to the Aussie game. Even with only a couple of games under his belt, Mullin remains optimistic about the potential shift to a more prominent role. Reflecting on his start, Mullin shared, "Every game I've played so far has been a learning curve. Now, with the chance to contribute in a bigger way, I'm keen to step up."

Geelong supporters are gearing up for what could be an exciting chapter in Mullin's young career. As the Cats navigate the post-Smith era, the focus is squarely on Oisin Mullin, and fans can't wait to see how he'll grow and make his mark in the upcoming season.
 
Lana said:
Geelong Cats' Irish Gem Eyes Bigger Role in Post-Smith Era
written by ChatGPT

With the AFL season on the horizon, all eyes are on the Geelong Cats' rising star from Ireland, Oisin Mullin, who had a brief taste of Aussie Rules action in his debut year. Despite his limited game time, Mullin's performances were full of promise, and anticipation is building for what he can bring to the team in his second season.

During his initial outings in the blue and white, Mullin showcased his defensive skills as a small backman, earning praise from fans and the coaching staff. Now, with the retirement of the seasoned wingman Isaac Smith, Geelong is on the lookout for a player to step up, and Mullin seems poised for the challenge.

Throughout the pre-season, Mullin has been working hard to refine his skills, and there's talk among the coaching staff about shifting him into a more attacking role. Despite his limited game experience, the buzz around Mullin is growing, and there's a sense of excitement as he aims to make a more significant impact this season.

Mullin's adaptability and eagerness to learn have endeared him to the team, and as an Irish import, he's quickly adapting to the Aussie game. Even with only a couple of games under his belt, Mullin remains optimistic about the potential shift to a more prominent role. Reflecting on his start, Mullin shared, "Every game I've played so far has been a learning curve. Now, with the chance to contribute in a bigger way, I'm keen to step up."

Geelong supporters are gearing up for what could be an exciting chapter in Mullin's young career. As the Cats navigate the post-Smith era, the focus is squarely on Oisin Mullin, and fans can't wait to see how he'll grow and make his mark in the upcoming season.
Click to expand...

I would criticise chatgpt for writing a piece that is largely generic and lacks any specific content, but then I would condemn half of news Corp.
 
D BRIDGE said:
You are the King of the drive by.
Click to expand...
Whether David or Wayne I take offence to that comparison.

Apologies for any attempt at light hearted humour. We do know any young player will generically say they feel fitter, stronger, more confident etc over time though. It would be completely shocking if they said otherwise, that was my point.
 

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Mr Meow said:
"Hey Oisin are you feeling much more confident in your second preseason?"
"Nah not really"
"Okay thanks have a great year"
Click to expand...
Reminds me of that old Mick Malthouse quote, "Did your boys come to play today?"

We have so many stupid questions in our media, completely based on answers where the player can't win, and it allows the trolls to find an angle to be critical regardless of the response.

Probably a bit of tall poppy syndrome, and just a general low IQ when it comes to the average media consumer.

Reporter: "Are you feeling confident Oisin?"

Oisin: "Absolutely. I feel like I've been able to develop my game over the last 18 months, and feel much more prepared to play AFL football than I did last year".

Trolls response: "What a d**khead, he thinks he can pick up this game in 18 months? Talk about a FIGJAM!!"

********************

Reporter: "Are you feeling confident Oisin?"

Oisin: "Yeah, nah...I'm completely out of my depth out here. I have no idea what I'm doing and the Geelong BigFooty board appear more focused on my hair than my football.

On the brightside, the ladies love me at Lamby's and I've got a new modeling contract with Best & Less once I'm delisted. It's not much, but you gotta start somewhere.

Trolls response: "Look at the lack of confidence? You don't win with that attitude. Wouldn't want him in my side!!"
 
I’d love to hear from Mullin about how he is going.

Of course, in the end, talk is cheap and we will see how he holds up on the ground soon enough.

It would be huge for us if he comes on in leaps and bounds.

Not sure if that’ll happen.

We will find out soon enough.
 
It is a simple mantra: enjoy the ride. Eventually, Oisín Mullin made it to Croke Park with his school Ballinrobe and achieved All-Ireland glory. At one juncture along the way the defender was the focus of a video analysis session.
The ball kicked out, his man out in front, Mullin at ease in the distance.
“I used to break (manager) Damien Egan’s heart,” he says with a half-grimace. “He was showing clips to everyone one day. Then the next clip, the ball was kicked out and it was coming straight towards me. Anyway, I was looking sideways, my man ran straight to get the ball and I was still watching sideways.
“He was showing it and I realised I was staring at a school bus that was driving in the road, trying to figure out what school it was coming from. This was mid-game. I guess I wasn’t always the most clued in. I was just out to enjoy it, have a bit of craic really.”
We’re talking about Gaelic football, fulfilment and everything in between. At 24 years of age, Mullin’s odyssey so far has been extraordinary.
He is a professional athlete with AFL outfit Geelong having come remarkably close to pursuing a different sport as a teenager. Before he left for Australia, he won back-to-back Young Footballer of the Year awards and an All-Star.

His Mayo hometown, Kilmaine, made him who he is today.
Mullin is the second youngest of eight to parents Jarlath and Noreen. Their garden was the theatre of every sporting dream. Any sort of ball got a whirl. They all did athletics. Recently his siblings have been keeping him updated on their hotly contested darts matches.
His father still maintains the second eldest, Sean, was the best GAA prospect in the house. He pursued rugby instead. Jarlath junior is two years older than Oisín and another talented baller.

Oisín followed his big brother everywhere and consequently competed at an older age grade for Carras, an underage amalgamation of Garrymore and Kilmaine. However, his first love was soccer. He played on consecutive Kennedy Cup teams and had trials with Sligo Rovers cut prematurely short due to a quad injury.
“Our house was always competitive. Having three older brothers, Jarlath is two years older, Sean is eight and Brian was ten. We'd always have matches going on until all hours and I was always playing out of my depth all the time.”
Brian died tragically in a road collision in 2022. It was the day after his 32nd birthday. As his funeral took place in the parish, a birthday cake sat untouched in the fridge. At the service, Oisín spoke about how Brian loved his family and was never afraid to express it. That giant embrace of family is a constant source of strength now.
His mother conquered a fear of flying to make the trip to Melbourne last year. A cohort of cousins reside in Sydney. This week the Mullins are in Italy.
Geelong play Brisbane on Saturday. The Mayo defender is not available. He is spending this week in Rome with his partner, Jess, and his family for his sister’s wedding.
At the pre-game press conference, coach Chris Scott was asked if every club would allow players to miss a competitive fixture: “When there is a competition, doing the right thing by your family triumphs it. He can’t miss his sister’s wedding.”

An ethos that chimes with the essence of Mullin’s character.
“The club are so good,” he explains. “Their whole mindset around it all… They said you’ll hopefully play however many games, but your sister will only get married once.”
Life and sport are not indivisible. They always merge. In the processing pot of his mind, one always gravitated to its rightful place. Football, at home or in Australia, is for fun. Right now, it is his career. He is acutely aware that won’t last forever.
“It is something I have thought about a lot recently,” he explains. “Being a Mayo footballer wasn’t going to last forever. AFL won’t last forever. So, then it is trying to find what your identity is. What will stick? What my values are and what defines me as a person? It is not something I’ve finalised yet.”
It’s not the game.
That has to remain a game.
“I'm lucky enough because I feel like it can become really toxic for the individual or overwhelming at times if you let it. I felt that externally at home, when you go out and about, it can become overwhelming because Mayo was so football-mad, which is great.
“But then, it is always the same conversation you're having. It can be hard to get a bit of a break from it at times. I have always tried to remember that it is a game.
“Even since coming here I really try and keep matches or training away from my personal life. Because it is just not just yourself that it impacts, it's everyone else around you. If you're in a bad mood you can let it become bigger than it really is. It is just something I developed.

“As a kid I hated the idea of showing my emotions too much, I mean in a negative sense. I guess I suppressed that when I was younger and then it developed into this… Look at the end of the day it doesn't necessarily change a major amount in your life if you win or if you lose a game.”
So, how did the boy who gazed at passing buses turn into a generational talent? The conditions and creed of his county led him up a different lane. His single character found the right channel.
“I always go back to Damien Egan. I have said it to him since, he was the first manager that got me to actually start going training. I guess I drove coaches insane, I never went. Even in school, from first year up to TY I might have trained once or twice ever.
“Whatever environment he started to develop, lads were getting more involved and it just became a great team to be part of. It felt like there was a clique around it. Obviously then as that year progressed, we ended up winning it out.
“From there I got involved with the Mayo minor team and it took off, that routine of kind of going along, training all the time, becoming a small bit consumed by the GAA.”

His route Down Under was also a meandering one. Throughout his life he has taken steps forward without paying undue consideration to where he was headed. It started with a phone call inviting him to some open AFL trials in Dublin. Then he partook in some athletic testing at a combine, always guided by a straightforward attitude: “I just said I’d give it a go,” he smiles.

“I ended up testing a lot better than I thought I would and got the invite then to go out for a trip in April 2020. But obviously COVID put a halt to that. Focus then quickly turned back to the GAA.
“There was so much uncertainty around Covid and everything, so there wasn't really much contact with the AFL. At the end of the 2021 season, Geelong got back in touch. I was chatting to the club and got the contract for the 2022 season.
"I obviously ended up not coming with everything that was going on.”
It was November 2021 when Geelong announced Mullin’s signature. The following January, Mayo announced he was no longer leaving. At the end of that year, the news broke that he was away again.
How did it all look? The same way it felt. Try and pick one emotion. Exciting. Confusing. Stressful.
In an interview around the 2021 All-Stars, Mullin was circumspect about whether he was leaving. The reality is that there was no conspiracy theory. He just didn’t know.
“It was just that things were getting delayed over and over with Covid. There were all the visas and tests and stuff like that. Anything that could go wrong did, there was always a hassle and I actually wouldn't have been coming out until mid-February. I just decided to wait with Mayo again.
“I thought the AFL chance was gone at that stage but fortunately, Geelong kept me on the list for the whole 2022 season. So, I could join easily for the 2023 season. I didn't actually know they had me still on the list for 2022 originally. I think for a while there I was the only Premiership squad-winning player who had never ever stepped foot in Australia.”

The ground kept shifting under his feet. He kept looking around him trying to comprehend it. After Mayo’s U20s were beaten by Galway in the 2019 Connacht final, they hit the road to Ballindine for a night out. Mullin got off the bus, checked his phone and saw a text asking if he was free for a call.
“I texted back, ‘no problem. Who's this?’ Without reading the message properly. And it said James Horan at the bottom. It wasn't a great start for me really.

"I thought it was a joke because no one else got it, I ended up asking Mike Solan to check if it was the right number.”
Consider the subsequent 18 months.
Mullin trained with the Mayo seniors less than 24 hours later, thrown in the heart of a shuddering box drill. He was in the extended panel as David Clifford inspired Kerry to a Super 8s victory four days later. He made the matchday squad against Meath in Croke Park. Immediate exposure to the senior nuclear radiation yielded a superhero.
Mullin was an instant lynchpin, starring in two subsequent All-Ireland finals.
His own version of the origin story is more modest. Matthew Ruane and Eoin O'Donoghue became Mullin and Tommy Conroy’s mentors. He laughs at what Ruane would say about that experience: “A challenge. I wasn’t the most enthusiastic about the gym.”
Conroy is one of his best friends. They went to Ballinrobe community school together, they went to University in Galway together. When the Cancer Fund for Children was running an event at Ashford Castle a few years ago, Mullin and Conroy were invited as a duo. He heard about their therapeutic short break centre for children with cancer and their families. How they had secured a spot in Cong to provide more opportunities.
After four years of letting his hair grow, last week Mullin cut it off. While playing, the bun unravelled into a mess one time too many. He ran a fundraiser for Daisy Lodge 4 Mayo.
The plan was to buzz cut it all. His sister was dismayed at the prospect of that fresh head in wedding photos. They found a compromise. Jess chopped the ponytail. A barber put some shape on the rest.

He always felt small. It stood to him, forcing him to make the most of what he had, to develop unyielding survival mechanisms. First, he invested fully in skills. He changed how he thought about his role and the sport.
“A defender’s mindset,” is what he calls it now. Whatever it takes to help the cause. Stop his man from getting on the ball and that would naturally lead to him acquiring it.
That spirit made him a key cog in the Mayo machine. His power stemmed from that source. On the idea that his suffering would pave the way for collective pleasure. That loop doesn’t work in reverse.
Now that pain reaches an unbearable threshold. He’s not part of it. He has to park it.
Zach Tuohy is a Premiership winner and a record breaker, the Irish man with the most appearances in the history of the AFL. After he first moved to Carlton from Portlaoise, Setanta Ó hAilpín was a team-mate with invaluable advice. Don’t look back. You can’t watch Laois, at least not initially.
Tuohy offered the same insight to an Irish rookie when he landed. Mullin learned the hard way. He won’t be watching the Connacht SFC clash with Roscommon on Sunday.
“I always watch the highlights, but to be honest, I find it difficult to watch the games. Watching it live, you can really get emotionally invested or frustrated with it. When I'm actually involved in a game… I just feel like more chill playing than actually watching. That is a lot harder. Having to control thoughts and emotions around it.
“You just want to be more involved in it when you're watching live. I’d always watch the highlights back and chat to the lads about it. The only game I've actually watched since I came over here was when Mayo played Tyrone in the 2023 league. See it was Tommy's first game back from his cruciate, I just had to watch on that occasion. I haven’t since.”
This situation is surreal. The story of his life.
“It's funny looking back now all the way to when I was 10, there have been so many random sliding door moments around everything. The only reason I went back to the GAA was only because I got down to the last couple with Sligo Rovers, was sent back to my club when I pulled my quad. Getting involved with Mayo, that obviously opened the door to AFL, but I never knew any of this was happening.
“I just went along with it. Doing the combine, ‘it's just a day out in Dublin.’ Getting invited to Australia for the first visit, ‘it is just a two-week holiday.’
“I struggle to get inside my own mind at times.”
His brows furrow for a moment and then smiles, “it is like the monkey with the cymbals".
What about the obvious question, does he think he will play for Mayo again?
Haven’t you been listening? He can’t think about it. He can’t not think about it.
“I don’t know is struggle the right word… I find it difficult at times to comprehend where I'll be next year, never mind five or ten years. It is obviously something in the back of your mind.
“I take it year by year because it can become very overwhelming if you if you look too far ahead with it and obviously in a sporting sense, this is probably a pessimistic way of looking at it, but one bad injury could end it all.
“You can't become too complacent about any aspect of life. You also can’t base your life around any sports or different things like that. I only want to take it as it comes, try and enjoy it as it goes.”
Click to expand...
 
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