Oisín Mullin's Near Return to Mayo for All-Ireland Final

Oisín Mullin has confirmed what many in Mayo had already suspected: the call came, the question was asked, and an audacious All-Ireland final cameo was briefly on the table.

The former Young Footballer of the Year, now firmly embedded in the AFL with Geelong, revealed that he did speak to Mayo manager Andy Moran about a sensational short–term return to the county panel ahead of last weekend’s historic decider.

Mullin, who lined out for Mayo in the 2020 and 2021 All-Ireland finals before heading to Australia in late 2022, found himself at the centre of a remarkable cross‑code tug-of-war at the most hectic point of the AFL season.

Geelong coach Chris Scott had already lifted the lid on the story on Fox Sports, explaining that Moran had picked up the phone last week to see if there was any way Mullin could be released to fly home, play in the final, and then return to club duty.

Speaking to Australia’s Channel 7 before Geelong’s clash with Collingwood, Mullin confirmed the approach.

"I did have a chat with the coach back home and obviously Chris (Scott) here," he said, outlining how the lines of communication between Mayo and Geelong had never fully closed.

That link had been strengthened during the AFL off-season. Geelong allowed Mullin an extended spell back in Ireland, and Mayo welcomed him into training while he was home. It kept the relationship alive, and when Mayo surged back to another All-Ireland final, the idea of a dramatic recall didn’t seem so far-fetched.

"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," Mullin explained.

The timing killed the dream. Geelong are deep in the grind of their campaign, and releasing a player to dash across the world for a one-off game — even one as emotionally charged as an All-Ireland final — was always going to be a long shot.

So Mullin stayed put. No last-minute flight, no third All-Ireland final appearance. Just a Mayo man on the far side of the world, glued to a screen.

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

If he couldn’t be on the pitch, he could still feel the weight of what had happened. Mayo, after 75 long years, finally climbed the mountain.

"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, summing up decades of heartache in a few blunt lines.

This time, there was no hard-luck story. No near miss. Just release.

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

Back in Australia, Scott had laid out just how bold Mayo’s pitch had been.

"Oisín Mullin had taken a phone call from the Mayo coach just planting a seed about possibly, after our game against Melbourne on Friday night, that he might be able to pop over to Ireland to play in the final and then come back," the Geelong boss revealed.

It was the kind of scenario that sounds like fantasy until someone actually makes the call. Mayo did.

Mullin, now 26, was one of the breakout stars of their 2020 run, picking up an All-Star and the Young Footballer of the Year award as he emerged as a driving force in defence. He backed it up again in 2021 as Mayo returned to the final, only to fall short once more.

Those performances helped propel him to the AFL, where he is now in his fourth season with Geelong. He played in last year’s Grand Final, a losing effort against back-to-back champions Brisbane Lions, adding another major-stage appearance to a career already stacked with high-pressure days.

This time, though, the biggest day in Mayo’s modern history passed without him in green and red. Instead, he watched their long wait end from thousands of miles away, part of the story yet not on the field — a reminder that even in an age of global travel and professional flexibility, some sporting dreams still collide head-on with reality.