He might be a ruthless competitor on the field and one of the game's brightest young stars, but there is so much more to Connor O'Sullivan than meets the eye. 

In his second season with the Cats, the 20 year old has quickly developed into one of Geelong's most reliable defenders, featuring in every game bar one at AFL level in 2025. 

But while his emergence on the field has been spectacular, O'Sullivan is just as committed to his growth off the field as he finds ways to stay grounded in his time away from football. 

From studying at university to social dinners with teammates, the young defender provided insight into the healthy balance that is inspiring his development as a player and a person. 

"The club has been really good for me, really encouraging me to expand who I am as a person not just on the field, but off the field as well," O'Sullivan told Cats Media. 

"I have started a business management course at Deakin University, which is keeping me a little busy. For me it is a good opportunity that when I get away from the club, I feel like I can have something else to clear my mind and keep me busy.

"We love doing weekly dinners, there is a few of us boys that get together and we just chat about all things whether it is footy or life in general, I feel like that is a good opportunity for me to relax.

"We get a little bit of golf and a little bit of pickleball in as well, we try our hand at all sorts of stuff.

"For me I feel like I have a really good balance right now with where I am at on the field, but also being able to get away and separate myself from football."

O'Sullivan made his AFL debut in Round 5 last year but that would ultimately be his only appearance at the top level in 2024, spending the majority of his inaugural season with the Cats plying his trade in the VFL. 

The experience highlighted the areas that he needed to work on and after a strong block of training in the pre-season, the young defender cemented his spot in the Geelong line-up, playing 17 out of a possible 18 AFL games to this point in 2025. 

Earning a Rising Star nomination in Round 2 for a stellar display against St Kilda, there has been no looking back for O'Sullivan who said the season has been a great test so far. 

"Obviously for me, last year was very much a development year, just trying to refine some things that I have wanted to work on and areas that I really needed to improve," O'Sullivan said. 

"To have my first full off-season and pre-season as a full time AFL player this year was obviously very exciting, for me it was an opportunity to get after some things that I really wanted to work on.

"To get the opportunity to play every game bar one has been awesome for me, to put myself to the test against AFL-calibre players.

"The VFL last year was a great opportunity for me to play against some, but this year getting to do it regularly and getting the experience of different atmospheres, different games and big moments has been awesome."

Part of that experience over the pre-season for O'Sullivan was getting to learn from some of Geelong's established stars, honing his craft alongside the likes of Jack Henry, Tom Stewart and Mark Blicavs. 

But it was also important to get a different perspective on the game, often lining up on Jeremy Cameron and Patrick Dangerfield at training and seeing how the greats of the game operate. 

"It is pretty incredible that even in pre-season and in training, I get to play on Jeremy Cameron, Patrick Dangerfield, Shannon Neale now as well," O'Sullivan told Cats Media. 

"To be able to play alongside some very experienced people who are very highly regarded within the AFL community, as well as playing against them and on them at training, it is probably an experience that very few people get to say they have had.

"For me I try to capitalise on that as much as I can, trying to work on my game alongside those guys.

"I am in a very fortunate position where I feel like I am always around someone that is an incredible player and person, so I am very grateful."

Just as important as the development on the field has been the learnings off it for O'Sullivan, leaning on a deep support network to help him continue his growth. 

"Like on the field, I feel like we have the opportunities as Cats players to connect with a whole lot of different people who are very educated and very good in their field," O'Sullivan said. 

"For me, being able to work alongside James Kelly as the defensive coach primarily, Nigel Lappin and Mark Corrigan, but also off the field Mark Worthington and Shannon Byrnes.

"To be able to connect with all those people and have that support network at the club, where I can lean on them not only on the field but off the field as well, it has allowed me to feel confident and help me with my development in the last 18 to 24 months.

"I am very grateful that I have such a vast network of support at this club, it has obviously helped me a lot."