The AFL's Irish flavour has significantly grown with each passing decade, but while it is becoming a path more frequently travelled, the journey across the globe and into a new competition is still no mean feat. 

A number of Irishmen have uprooted their lives and swapped the round ball of Gaelic Football for the oval-shaped footy, with the likes of Zach Tuohy and Jim Stynes making a sizeable impression on this great game throughout their careers. 

But to this day, only 12 Irish players have gone on to feature in 50 AFL games, with Oisin Mullin set to become the 13th when he reaches the milestone this Saturday as Geelong take on Port Adelaide. 

It was a remarkable leap of faith for Mullin, who was a superstar Gaelic footballer back home, moving to Geelong at the end of 2022 and commencing his AFL career at the start of 2023. 

Cats coach Chris Scott spoke about the Irishman's journey during his press conference this week, noting that it takes a big commitment to shift your life across the globe and pick up an entirely new game. 

"I think every player's journey is unique," Scott said. 

"Oisin is different, but I guess we should stop calling him the 'Irish Experiment' an experiment when it comes to Geelong.

"We have got so much faith, I was going to say in our club's ability to help those guys through. But the better way of describing it is the awe with which we see these guys come out, from the other side of the world, without much knowledge of our game and pick it up so quickly.

"He was a very highly credentialed Gaelic player but let's be clear, it is a different game. He is a very impressive athletic specimen, but we have been really impressed with the way he has picked up the way we want to play.

"I know the question was about the roles he is playing at the moment, but I would be very surprised if we looked back in a year or two and see him as a run-with player solely. He has got a lot more to offer the team than just that."

Mullin made his debut in Round 11 of the 2023 season, playing six games in his inaugural season with the Cats before finding more opportunities the following year. 

He got his first taste of Finals football in 2024, but it was not until 2025 where he solidified his position in Geelong's starting line-up. 

Across a season where the Cats made it all the way to a Grand Final, Mullin played 25 of a possible 26 games and the only one he missed came on Easter Monday, where he was a late withdrawal through injury. 

He also produced one of the best highlights of the year in the Qualifying Final, kicking the first goal of his career in his 41st game to bring the Cats strong crowd to their feet at the MCG. 

One of the more fascinating storylines to come from the 2025 season was Mullin's role shift, as he was deployed as a tagger on numerous occasions and matched up with some of the best players in the competition. 

With his combination of size, speed and athleticism, Mullin was able to do an effective job in several games including Geelong's Round 10 clash with Port Adelaide, when he limited Zak Butters to just 20 disposals and three clearances. 

He went on to nullify the likes of Touk Miller, Hugh McCluggage and Butters once again throughout 2025, continuing to grow in his knowledge and understanding of the game. 

Mullin's performance against the Bulldogs last week reignited the debate around whether he is the best tagger in the game currently, something that fellow Irishman Zach Tuohy weighed on during the week. 

"This is what he has been doing for a really long time, and it is one of the reasons I occasionally get frustrated by some of the outside noise around somebody like Oisin," Tuohy said on this week's episode of 'To the Final Bell.'

"He could do that job 10 times, but if the Cats lose the game then externally people don't appreciate it because you didn't get the result. He very rarely gets beaten when he is given the job Oisin.

"This one was ramped up to another level because it was on 'The Bont,' and he properly put him to sleep.

"For those who go along to the game, next time you are watching Oisin tag or do a role like that, watch him get bashed by the opposition and watch how little he reacts. You will probably appreciate this more than most, he has no ego and he has such a perfect temperament for that role.

"You can do what you want to him and he will not react, he will just go back and do his job."