After weeks of uncertainty, the dreams of Mayo supporters came true on Sunday night when Mayo GAA confirmed that Oisín Mullin had turned down a move to the AFL and would be staying with Mayo.
In November, the Geelong Cats had announced that Mullin had signed as a Category B rookie with the club on a two-year deal, where he would link up with fellow Irish men, Zach Tuohy from Laois and Mark O’Connor from Kerry. Geelong are also the club that Mayo Ladies’ star Rachel Kearns is currently playing for in the AFLW. The Australian outfit had gone as far as allocating him the number 34 shirt for the coming season.
However, over the past number of months, the rumour mill had been in full flow that Mullin would be reconsidering his decision, and on Sunday night, Mayo GAA confirmed the two-time young footballer of the year would be staying in green and red.
In a statement released through the county board, Mullin said: “Going to Australia to play professionally was a really interesting opportunity and it was something I wanted to research and consider in detail.
“It was a big decision for me as playing for Mayo with my friends is a huge honour and something I love doing, so I wanted to take the time to consider all aspects of it.
“After some careful thinking and a lot of support from family, I have decided to stay in Ireland and I am really excited about joining up with the Mayo Senior Football panel as soon as possible.
“I am grateful to everyone who helped me during the process. I especially want to send my appreciation to everyone at Geelong Football Club. I want to thank them for their understanding and wish them every success for the future.”
In the same statement Mayo manager James Horan also commented on Mullin’s decision to stay, saying: “It has been a pleasure to work with Oisín since he came into the panel in 2019. I am delighted he will be part of the Mayo Senior Football panel this year.
“Oisín is a fantastic guy, a leader, and adds so much to the setup. There is a great spirit in the current squad and all the players are delighted to be back up and running. Our first game is now only a few weeks away and we, as a team, are really looking forward to the year ahead.”
Mayo had batted away questions on Mullin’s future in recent weeks, after Mayo’s recent game against Galway in the Connacht FBD League when a question was put to Mayo manager James Horan on Mullin’s future; county board PRO John Walker interjected, saying: “We cannot comment on that at the moment, there are family reasons.” When it was put to Horan did he have anything to add to it, Horan replied: “It’s just a difficult situation and Oisin and his family deserve the time and space to work through it.”
No doubt Horan will be pleased, as will all Mayo supporters, that Mullin has decided to stay in Ireland and commit to the green and red, with their league season opening up at the end of the month against Donegal in Sligo.
Mullin has played just 19 times for Mayo in league and championship at senior level, since he made his debut in a 0-19 to 2-13 draw away to Donegal in Ballybofey in January 2020. He’s gone on to win two Connacht senior titles, one All Star and two GAA Young Player of the Year awards in that short space of time and has become one of the first names on any Mayo team-sheet.
