CONNOR O’Sullivan has been to two AFL Grand Finals.
Despite growing up a Sydney fan, he attended the 2011 decider between Geelong and Collingwood.
He was there at the MCG when the Cats obliterated the Swans in 2022.
Now a rising Geelong defender, he’s hoping to help the Cats make it three from three on Saturday.
“I’ve been so nervous through the finals series, had the leg shakes and everything. But by the time I got here, I settled down and soaked it all in,” O’Sullivan said in the rooms after the Cats’ 30-point preliminary final victory over Hawthorn.
“There was a moment late in the game when ‘Jezza’ (Jeremy Cameron) pumped the ball out of 50, and looked at me, and it was just, ‘we’ve won this’.
Connor O’Sullivan celebrates with Jeremy Cameron during the preliminary final between Geelong and Hawthorn at the MCG on September 19, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
“The roar when the anthem finished – I’ve grown up watching finals, to experience it myself is something else.”
Honoured with the prestigious No.14 jumper – the first Cat to wear it after the retirement of premiership skipper Joel Selwood – O’Sullivan said the champion leader had kept in touch.
“I’ve had a few messages from Joel over the finals series, wishing me luck – which is really nice, he doesn’t have to do that,” he said.
“It’s just been so much fun; I’ve had so much support around me from people at the club.”
O’Sullivan will have to take on a big role on Saturday, manning either Logan Morris or Brisbane’s resting ruck, especially given the absence of Tom Stewart.
The veteran Cat suffered a concussion in the first quarter and was ruled out for the match, and when speaking to O’Connor, he wasn’t yet aware of the severity of the issue.
“We weren’t really sure what happened with Tom (at the time of the incident),” O’Connor said.
“It gave us a moment to settle down. We worked as a unit for the rest of the game, it’s such a good group we have down back, we were able to adjust and make it work.”
It’s safe to say the Albury boy’s phone will be pinging this week, given the demand for tickets for Friday night’s preliminary final.
“I scrounged up like 14 or 16 tickets for tonight, there were some last-minute additions for tonight’s game,” he said with a wide grin, before turning back to his family.
