Oisín Mullin's Potential All-Ireland Final Comeback

Oisín Mullin has confirmed what many in Mayo had already suspected: the call came, the question was asked, and for a brief moment the idea of a dramatic All-Ireland final return was very real.

The former Young Footballer of the Year, now firmly embedded in life with Geelong in the AFL, revealed that he did speak to Mayo boss Andy Moran about a sensational comeback ahead of the county’s long-awaited All-Ireland breakthrough.

Mullin, who started in the 2020 and 2021 All-Ireland finals, has been in Australia since late 2022 after signing for Geelong. His name has never really left Mayo conversations, though, and as the county edged closer to ending a 75-year wait for Sam Maguire, the temptation to explore every possible option was obvious.

Geelong coach Chris Scott had already lifted the lid on the story at the weekend, telling Fox Sports that Moran phoned Mullin last week to see if there was any way he could be released for the decider — right in the middle of a hectic AFL schedule.

Speaking to 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 conversation had grown naturally from an existing link between club and county.

In the AFL off-season, Geelong allowed Mullin an extended spell at home in Mayo, and he spent part of that period training with the county panel. That kept the relationship warm and, crucially, left the door slightly ajar.

"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," Mullin explained.

This time, though, the timing beat them. Geelong are deep in the business end of their own campaign, and the logistics of flying a key player across the world for an All-Ireland final — and straight back into AFL action — proved too much.

"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 said.

The idea was bold. Scott himself had outlined it in stark terms on Fox Sports.

"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 would have been an extraordinary cameo: a 26-year-old who lit up Mayo’s runs to the 2020 and 2021 finals, an All-Star and Young Footballer of the Year in that first campaign, dropping back in to chase the medal that eluded him before he left for Australia.

Instead, Mullin watched from afar as Mayo finally climbed the mountain without him.

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

From the other side of the world, he understood exactly what had just happened back home.

"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.

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

While Mayo partied, Mullin continued his own journey. Now in his fourth season with Geelong, he played in last year’s AFL Grand Final, where Geelong fell to back-to-back champions Brisbane Lions. His career in Australia is gathering serious momentum, his profile growing in a code that demands complete commitment.

That’s what ultimately closed the door on a fairytale one-off return. The call was made. The conversation was had. The possibility flickered, then faded.

Mayo moved on and made history. Mullin, still in his prime and thriving in the AFL, watched a county finally free itself of a burden he knows only too well.

The question now is not whether he could have come back for one game, but whether the pull of a county reborn ever draws him home for good.