AFL 2021: Geelong signs Irish rising star Oisin Mullin
Geelong has signed one of the most highly-rated talents ever to come out of Ireland, who has already been touted as a “very impressive” prospect by one of his new teammates.
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Geelong has confirmed the signing of one of Ireland’s brightest young stars.
The Cats have signed Oisin Mullin from Mayo as a category B rookie.
The 21-year-old is considered as one of the premier defenders in Gaelic football.
Mullin, the 2020 GAA Young Footballer of the Year, has been linked with a move to the AFL since he attended a combine in December 2019.
Geelong list manager Stephen Wells said Mullin was an exciting prospect.
“Oisin is a very athletic and talented prospect, and we are thrilled he has chosen to join the Cats as he transitions to AFL,” Wells said.
“Oisin has already established himself as an elite player in the GAA, and it is a big step to make the move to Australia. We have a strong plan in place around his development and transition to football.”
Mullin joins AFLW recruit Rachel Kearns, also from Mayo, Mark O’Connor who hails from Kerry and Zach Tuohy from Laois at the Cats.
O’Connor told Irish radio earlier this week that Mullins caught his eye when he watched him play Gaelic football last year.
“I remember watching him in the All-Ireland final of last year,” O’Connor told Radio Kerry.
“He was a very impressive player. We’d be more than happy to see him out there.”
Irish all-star commits ☘ï¸âœï¸ The 2020 @officialgaa Young Player of the Year is coming to Geelong.
— Geelong Cats (@GeelongCats) November 10, 2021
READ 📘: https://t.co/hV03EXJlSD#GeelongStrong | @MorganStanleypic.twitter.com/ffOkpeBU0D
DONS YOUNG GUN’S BULLISH ABOUT RANCE INFLUENCE
Essendon rising star Nik Cox hopes the guidance of Alex Rance will help him play more consistent football as he heads into his second season at AFL level.
The Richmond premiership defender joined the Bombers as a part-time development coach and will work closely with the first to fourth-year players.
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Cox, who was pick eight in the 2020 draft, said he was excited to learn from the 200-gamer as he looks to develop into a key position player.
“He is awesome, it was great to meet him today,” Cox said.
“Obviously an incredible player during his career.
“It was great to have him out on the track, he is a great voice.
“He has a lot of knowledge to pass down to us young players and he is going to be working with us closely so it’s an awesome thing for us.”
Essendon’s youngsters hit the track earlier than expected with most AFL clubs returning to training on November 22.
Cox returned to Tullamarine alongside the first to fifth-year players on Wednesday with their elimination final loss to the Western Bulldogs a motivating factor to the early return.
“We wanted to get back into it as soon as we can,” he said.
“There’s still a bit of fire in the belly from that final that we lost. We want to build into a really good season next year and we think this is the best way to do it.”
The 19-year-old played 22 games in his debut year but struggled in the second half of the year, something Cox attributed to the lack of football in his top-age draft year.
Cox hopes that Rance’s influence, combined with a full pre-season, will help the versatile teenager maintain consistency in his performance.
“It’s a big driver of mine, I don’t want to fall off like I did,” Cox said.
“I felt like I was getting a bit tired towards the end of the year. It didn’t help not having any footy the year before.
“But that’s what’s good about having a full pre-season. I’m able to go and build my body to play a full season.”
Despite being 200cm, Cox played a variety of roles for the Bombers this year, including a standout performance on the wing in round 12 where he was awarded a NAB Rising Star nomination.
Cox hopes to continue exploring different positions before establishing himself in a set role.
“I think that’s one of my strengths and I want to keep that ability to be swung through the midfield, down back, down forward,” Cox said.
“I’m sure I’ll float through a number of roles during the pre-season so hopefully I can build into a key position further down the track.
Clock ticking on another Bobby Hill trade request
—Jon Ralph
GWS small forward Bobby Hill has been given permission to stay with his pregnant partner in Perth until the new year as the Giants face an uphill battle to keep him past 2022.
Several clubs including the Giants and Sydney are making smart decisions to allow WA-based players to train in Perth throughout December instead of returning to their eastern seaboard clubs for a short burst of pre-season training.
WA premier Mark McGowan’s harsh border rules mean anyone who returns to training in Melbourne and Sydney would have to quarantine for two weeks of their three-week Christmas break.
So Sydney has allowed Chad Warner and Logan McDonald to follow individual programs while remaining in WA through December before joining the Swans early in January.
Likewise, the Western Bulldogs are expected to give permission for Tim English, Aaron Naughton and Riley Garcia to train in Perth instead of returning for as little as two weeks of December training.
Players at teams who missed finals or lost an elimination final are due back on November 22 (1-4 year players) or December 6 (five-plus year players), while the rest of the finalists are due back on November 9 (1-4 year players) or December 6 (five-plus year players).
The AFLPA has brokered a full three-week break over Christmas for players after two years of interstate hub life.
Hill’s partner is due to give birth in December, with the goal kicker shattered that he was not able to be traded to Essendon.
GWS would not trade Hill to be closer to cousins Brad Hill and Bombers VFLW player Courtney Ugle despite his determination to be close to family as his partner gave birth to their first child.
The Giants have told him he can return in January to Sydney and have pledged to wrap their arms around him and support him despite the aborted request.
But it would take a significant about-face for Hill to remain at GWS past his current contract, which expires at the end of 2022.
Hill was crestfallen that the Giants did not try harder to replace him although Hawthorn’s Luke Breust and Chad Wingard both knocked back GWS offers.
GWS was adamant it should have been told much earlier in the trade period of his interest in joining Essendon, which might have allowed time to find a direct replacement.
He remains resolute that he will find his way to a Melbourne club for 2023, with GWS to be given ample warning to broker a trade.
The men’s 2022 season is unlikely to be affected by the hard border remaining until 90 per cent of the WA population is vaccinated.
But both West Australian AFLW teams might have to be on the road for the first month of the season, starting in the first week of January, given the hard border could remain until late January or early February.
Big Dog eyes game 200 after signing new deal
–Glenn McFarlane
Western Bulldogs ruckman Stefan Martin will play on for a 15th AFL season – and potentially reach his long-awaited 200-game milestone in Round 1 next season – after signing a new one-year extension.
Martin, who turns 35 in a fortnight, will work closely with Bulldogs’ big men Tim English and Jordon Sweet in an effort to take the club one step further in 2022.
The former Demon and Lion managed only nine games in his first year with the Bulldogs this season after enduring a battle with his body at times, but he returned for the preliminary final and Grand Final.
Bulldogs general manager of list management and football projects, Sam Power said Martin had been a key component in the ruck education for 24-year-olds English and Sweet.
“Stef has already had a significant impact on our program both on and off the field in such a short period of time,” Power said.
Big Stef locked in for '22 âœðŸ”’
— Western Bulldogs (@westernbulldogs) November 3, 2021
📰 Details: https://t.co/UmrElbzyvi
“To have Stef sign on for a further season is great – he’s an experienced player with a wealth of attributes, and is a great support and mentor for both Tim and Jordon. He gives our midfield group so much confidence when he plays.
“We’re excited to see what he can do in 2022 with hopefully a clear run of injuries.”
Martin had 14 disposals and 18 hit-outs in the Grand Final thrashing at the hands of his old side Melbourne as Max Gawn and Luke Jackson played key roles in the Demons’ second half blitz.
The Bulldogs won seven of the nine games Martin played in 2021, but he faced some frustrating injury issues this year which hurt the club at times.
Hale: Hawks will make mockery of ‘doomsday talk’
New Hawthorn assistant coach David Hale says he cannot wait to help develop the Hawks’ six-pack of exciting young talls who he says will make a mockery of “doomsday talk” about Sam Mitchell’s list.
Triple premiership Hawk Hale has returned from a six-year stint at Fremantle that included a game as caretaker coach after Ross Lyon’s sacking.
For Hale, it is a chance to learn more under Mitchell but also help develop rucks Max Lynch and Ned Reeves as well as tall forwards Jacob Koschitzke, Mitch Lewis, Emerson Jeka and Jackson Callow.
The Hawks are yet to assign line duties to lieutenants Hale, Rob Harvey and Chris Newman but the former ruck-forward is sure to help ruck coach Damien Monkhorst with some of the big man responsibilities.
He told the Herald Sun the fact that so many senior players wanted to remain under Sam Mitchell, despite trade period overtures, would provide an ideal blend of youth and experience in the new coach’s first season.
“There was plenty of doomsday talk about how it was all looking, but the underlying message from all of it was the players who kept getting brought up wanted to stay and wanted to continue to learn and grow at the Hawks, whether with Sam, or the new coaching group with Robert Harvey and Chris Newman and myself coming back,” Hale said.
“There has been a fair bit of change. But the guys who have been around for a long time understood it was still an environment they wanted to work in so that is very encouraging.
“The Hawks’ forward line is similar to Freo in terms of the young key position guys who have plenty of scope to develop with a couple of old heads in Lukey Breust and Gunners (Jack Gunston).
“Ned Reeves is a big boy (211cm) and he played a few games last year and Max Lynch comes across, which will be exciting as well.
“He is working with myself and big Monkey is still there. His ruck craft nous will be good to work with that young group of talls going forward.”
Lynch’s 15-possession, 23-hitout effort against Max Gawn in Round 13 was one of only two 2021 senior games, but he held up well enough to help the Pies win both games in the absence of Brodie Grundy.
While he will have to knock off some rough edges, Lynch has the kind of grunt and determination that give him the building blocks to be a regular senior ruckman.
“He has a crack and he had a pretty good game against Max Gawn, so we have to work through the process of finding what their strengths are,” Hale said.
“We have to find someone who can hold up that position for the next five-10 years once Big Boy (Ben McEvoy) goes. They (Reeves and Lynch) are the guys you want carrying the load.
“Especially in that position, you need the competitive desire to get in and wrestle and clear the path and follow up for the little fellas.
“If you have that as your base, you can work around other things. The little fellas can get a bit of confidence around you to walk taller.”
Hawthorn’s medical department has already forecast a strong pre-season for 2020 best and fairest winner Gunston after surgery to repair a bulging disc in his back.
Hale said Gunston’s versatility and on-field coaching would prove critical to the Hawks’ bounce up the ladder — if he can get his body right after turning 30 in October.
“He will be invaluable. He understands the game so well. He has played in some bloody good forward lines and, even last year when he wasn’t playing, his instruction he was giving to those guys would have been really important,” Hale said.
“Hopefully, fingers crossed, he can get a good run at it, because he still has plenty of good footy moving forward if he can get his body right.
“With guys like him and Luke Breust, there is a wealth of experience going forward.”
Versatility helps Swan survive the axe
Veteran Swan Sam Reid’s positional versatility has helped spare him from the axe.
Sydney confirmed on Friday that Reid, pressure forward Ben Ronke and Irishman Barry O’Connor all received new one-year deals.
A significant calf injury was Reid’s latest setback this season but he also lost his spot late in the year to fellow forward-ruckman Hayden McLean.
The Swans made Reid, who turns 30 in December, wait through the trade period before rubberstamping his list spot for next year.
Sydney football boss Charlie Gardiner said his ability to play “a variety of roles” across his 163 games made him a valued member of the Swans outfit.
“He brings experience and leadership to our younger players,” Gardiner said.
“With a better run of luck with injury, we believe he can be an important player for us next season.”
The Swans delisted ex-Lion Lewis Taylor on the promise he would be redrafted as a rookie.
The decision opens an extra spot on the primary list.
Gardiner said the Swans hoped Ronke, 23, could overcome a challenging run with injuries.
“Ben is an exciting forward who at his best brings great pressure, speed and hardness,” Gardiner said.
Irishman Barry O’Connor will enter his third year at the club.
“It’s been a whirlwind couple of years for Barry, arriving to the bushfires, having the season postponed in 2021 before enduring another Covid-interrupted season this year,” Gardiner said.
“Through all that he has shown great resilience and continued to work hard on his craft. We look forward to seeing how he can further develop his skillset and push for senior selection.”
Cross-town rivals Greater Western Sydney announced that warrior Shane Mumford had officially retired.
“Over 200 AFL games in the physical manner and the position in which Shane played is a wonderful achievement,” GWS football boss Jason McCartney said.
The lifeline that could keep delisted veteran at Suns
Four-club footballer Jacob Townsend could yet be in the AFL again next season despite Gold Coast officially delisting him on Thursday.
Townsend joins Aiden Fyfe and Irishman Luke Towey as delisted Suns, on top of Jarrod Harbrow, Jack Hombsch, Jordan Murdoch and Zac Smith retiring and Will Brodie being traded to Fremantle.
The 28-year-old is best known for his 17-goal, five-game cameo in Richmond’s 2017 premiership season, but has played 62 matches overall for Greater Western Sydney, the Tigers, Essendon and Gold Coast.
He appeared twice at senior level this year and kicked three goals for the Suns, who have told him they will consider selecting him in next month’s rookie draft.
They recruited Townsend the same way last year, with national recruiting manager Kall Burns saying at the time he would add valuable experience.
“We’re really happy to be able to secure a quality person like Jacob in the rookie draft and we know he will be a great addition to our group,” Burns said at the time.
“Jacob has been in the AFL system for nine years, is a premiership player and has experience at the highest level which complements our list.”
Townsend is part of an exclusive group of four-club AFL footballers, including the likes of Martin Pike, Tom Hickey, Justin Murphy, Ben Hudson and Adrian Fletcher.
Second son of Bombers legend on NFL punter path
Another of Essendon legend Dustin Fletcher’s sons is headed to the United States to be a punter.
Max Fletcher announced on Tuesday morning he was following in brother Mason’s footsteps in accepting a division one college football scholarship.
The 19-year-old has committed to the University of Arkansas and will compete in college football’s strongest division against powerhouse opponents such as Alabama and Georgia.
In a twist of fate, Max’s Razorbacks will take on Mason’s Bearcats for the first time in their history in the season opener – but not until late next year.
The match is scheduled for September 3 at Arkansas’s 76,000-capacity Razorback Stadium.
“It’s a weird coincidence we play each other, but it’s bloody awesome to be playing against my brother,” Fletcher told News Corp Australia.
“We dreamt about playing in the AFL and we’ve taken a different route, but to play my first game against him will be awesome.
“Arkansas plays in the SEC (West) and it’s probably the best conference, so we play all the big teams, which is really good.”
Fletcher is the latest graduate of Nathan Chapman’s and John Smith’s Prokick Australia, which has secured almost 200 college football scholarships for punters.
It was Mason’s announcement in May last year that he was committing to Cincinnati that convinced his younger sibling to chase the same dream.
That coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic crushing Fletcher’s goal last year to have a strong private school football season with Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School.
Mason’s enjoying an impressive freshman season for the undefeated Bearcats, ranking top 50 nationally with an average of 43.29 yards per punt.
Fletcher will aim to do the same but won’t be the only punter on the Razorbacks’ roster, so will have eight months after arriving on campus in January to work his way up the depth chart.
“I knew I had a big kick, and so does Mason, but it’s the technique that gets everyone,” he said.
“You have to get (your punt) off in under 1.2 seconds. I knew it was going to take time to really perfect the technique with the hang time, distance and where it lands.
“It’s all really tactical and that’s a learning curve I’ve got to get around when I get over there, but I’ll learn as much as possible and earn my teammates’ and coaches’ respect and hopefully I can play the first game.”
There are five Australian punters in the NFL this season – Michael Dickson, Mitch Wishnowsky, ex-Saint Arryn Siposs, Cam Johnston and Jordan Berry – and Fletcher hopes to one day join them.
If that doesn’t eventuate, he’s also going to do a PE teaching degree to set him up for the future.
“I always knew I wasn’t going to get drafted (into the AFL). I was on the skinny side and my endurance wasn’t up to scratch,” Fletcher said.
“The other thing was the mental aspect involved in playing in Dad’s shadow meant there was a lot of pressure on me.
“Every kid that goes over to the US wants to play in the NFL and make a lot of money and I’m no different. Dad is really supportive and I’m grateful for that.”
Giant plan for Eagles free agent Brander
Discarded Eagle Jarrod Brander will follow Jesse Hogan in trying to revive his AFL career on a one-year lifeline at Greater Western Sydney.
The Giants have confirmed their intention to sign Brander once the first delisted free agency window opens on Wednesday week.
It’s an interesting turn of events after the AFL stripped GWS’s Academy access to the Albury and Murray regions in 2017 – robbing them of the likes of Brander and Charlie Spargo – in response to rival clubs’ complaints.
Brander grew up in Mildura and Wentworth, which was in the Giants’ catchment zone, and later counted GWS forward Brent Daniels as a teammate at Geelong Grammar and Bendigo Pioneers.
He also became friends with Harry Perryman and Zach Sproule during his Academy days.
There was a sprinkling of interest in the 22-year-old before, and particularly after, West Coast delisted him, but his short deal is evidence he is fighting for his professional football life.
Brander was a first-round draft pick – No.13 overall – four years ago but played only 22 games for the Eagles and was largely used as a wingman in recent times despite standing 195cm.
He was stuck behind West Coast’s All-Australian forwards Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling, while Oscar Allen – drafted the same year as Brander – shot past him as a marking option in attack.
But it’s understood the plan is for GWS to deploy Brander as a roaming tall forward, potentially alongside Hogan and Harry Himmelberg.
The Giants believe that’s where he plays his best football despite the Eagles’ concerns about his lack of competitiveness.
Jake Riccardi is another contender for a tall forward position, while GWS also showed a willingness to play two ruckmen this past season.
The Giants granted another forward, Jeremy Finlayson, his wish to be traded to Port Adelaide during this month’s trade period.
The AFL’s first free agency window is from November 3-9, then the second is between the 11th and 15th of the same month.
Dees lock in vital defender on new deal
Melbourne has rewarded Harry Petty with a three-year contract extension for his role in the club’s premiership-winning backline.
The new deal ties the South Australian to the Demons until the end of the 2025 season.
Petty, who turns 22 next month, appeared only once in the first seven rounds but stayed in the side for good after replacing Adam Tomlinson (ACL) in Round 8.
He played 19 of his 30 career games this year.
Petty looms as a vital part of Melbourne’s bid for sustained success, given star defender Steven May will be 30 in January.
Most of the plaudits this year went to All-Australian pair May and Jake Lever but Petty’s ability to seamlessly slot into Tomlinson’s key post was important.
Demons list manager Tim Lamb said Petty had taken great strides in 2021.
“We are really excited to see how far he can take his game,” Lamb said.
“Harrison is a crucial piece of our future and we anticipate him being a key member of our defensive unit for many years to come.
“He is a terrific teammate who is highly respected by everyone, and we look forward to watching him continue to develop over the coming seasons.
“To have Harrison commit to the club is brilliant. His performances, particularly throughout the finals series, were exceptional.”
Petty was the No. 37 selection in the 2017 AFL draft after being an under-18 All-Australian.
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