Geelong defender Connor O'Sullivan is set to be the youngest Cat to take the field on AFL Grand Final day.
One of nine first-time grand finalists who will complement the core who played a significant role in the 2022 flag, O'Sullivan has played 24 of a possible 25 games this season, establishing himself as an important marking defender with the courage to launch for the footy.
Watching Geelong win the 2022 flag following an U17s game on the MCG earlier that day and being on the sidelines for the Cats' 2024 preliminary final heartbreak has given O'Sullivan an understanding of the noise and emotion of the day.
O'Sullivan finished in the top five of the Rising Star this year and is always spoken about in high regard by Geelong teammates, with an increased understanding of what it takes to be an AFL footballer in his second year in the system propelling him to new heights.
"(I've learned) what a good routine as a professional footballer looks like," he said on Friday. "Last year, I was moving down to Geelong and a new environment.
"(Now) it's just understanding the habits and things you need to do to get your body right week in and week out.
"I don't think new players give enough credit to the difficulty of up to a 26-game season so for me it was just understanding that and how my body feels after that and how to best prepare myself to perform, that's the biggest thing I've learned."
O'Sullivan sits in the top three at Geelong for intercept marks, contested marks, spoils and intercept possessions, highlighting how quickly he's become an important player.
His career will forever be compared to Essendon's Nate Caddy after the Bombers traded up to secure Caddy and both players were linked to both clubs.
“His aerial ability, composure, ability to intercept mark and endurance at only 18 years of age is something we are really excited about,” recruiting manager Stephen Wells said after he was selected.
Knee-jerk reactions questioned the decision, given Caddy got 10 games in his first season and averaged two scoring shots as an excitement machine, compared to O'Sullivan's one, but the Cats' development of the youngster in the VFL has proven given him strong foundations to thrive in 2025.
O'Sullivan was the Cats' second-highest draft selection of the decade and has proved to be a coup, showing maturity beyond his years and handling the big stage with aplomb.
The Cats also secured Shaun Mannagh as part of the deal with the Bombers, with the mature-aged pickup playing a starring role in the preliminary final.
O'Sullivan will run out in the number 14 on Saturday – the same number Joel Selwood won to lead the Cats to the 2022 premiership.
“I would say a lot of (my improvement) has to do with the fact I have a lot of experienced and knowledgeable guys around me,” O'Sullivan said.
“I feel like walking into the team we've got now, the level of expertise I've got around me gives me that confidence and I feel very comfortable out there to go about it the way I want to go about it and use my strengths to the best of my ability.
“They give me a lot of confidence and it's great to share the field with some great names and a lot of guys who have done it a lot of times before.”
