Irishman Mark O’Connor is proving exactly why he was considered one of the most talented young prospects in Gaelic football, according to new teammate Jackson Thurlow.

The 19-year-old was selected as a category B rookie by Geelong in October, having come to the attention of a number of clubs with impressive testing both at home and abroad.

Speaking on the club’s official podcast PodCats, established Cat Jackson Thurlow says the young Irishman has already turned heads in his first handful of sessions as an AFL footballer.

“Mark’s going really well. He’s a perfectionist in the way he goes about his work,” Thurlow said.

“He’s coming from a little bit further back but he’s doing extras, in the gym he doesn’t miss a beat and he’s working really hard.”

Thurlow was also full of praise for the Cats’ first pick in this year’s national draft, Brandan Parfitt.

Selected at pick 26 and having inherited the famous no.3 guernsey of Jimmy Bartel, the 18-year-old Northern Territorian is making already a name for himself amongst the playing group as a ball magnet.

“He’s training really well. He looks like he’s got so much time with the footy and he’s really smart with the ball,” Thurlow said.

“He just gets to really good spots. He’s been highlighted in pre-training meetings already in the patterns he’s running and the spots he’s getting to.”

“He’s got a knack for finding the footy and we’ve had match simulation drills where he’s racked it up already.”

The full episode of PodCats – featuring Jackson Thurlow – will be available later this week.