Kerry and Dingle star has made his decision on AFL future with Geelong Cats

Interesting...

The Dingle native's contract with AFL side Geelong was expiring come the end of the 2025/26 season.

However, O'Connor has penned a new two-year deal ending Kerry supporters hopes of him playing in the near-future.

The versatile defender joined the Cats in 2017, accruing 160 appearances.

The 29-year-old is hoping to add to his AFL Premiership and McClelland titles won with Geelong.

Although, funnily enough, O'Connor never featured for Kerry's senior panel despite his impressive minor career.

Notably though, O'Connor has continued to play GAA football while contracted with the Cats.

Lining out for his local club-side Dingle, O'Connor won the All-Ireland Senior Club Championship for the first time in Dingle's history this year.

Speaking on the Irish Examiner's podcast in January, O'Connor touched on Dingle's win: "Definitely for me, bottling up that emotion was tough, basically Dingle people organised outside of Philly Ryan’s pub and the Hogan Stand that they would line the streets, basically in the red and white to cheer the bus while it went by as Croke Park was up to the left.

“As we were driving through, I was on the left side of the bus, I looked down and there was just a row of Dingle people we all knew.

"People crying and clapping, blowing the horns and all of that. That was obviously very special.

When asked back in January about this season potentially being his last in the AFL, O'Connor explained: “I probably phrase things badly when it comes to this stuff because I just know, I saw the couple of headlines.

"A heap of people came up saying it to me, oh you are coming back. I was like, did I say that? 

"What I said was this was the last year of my contract with Geelong and it has to be worked through. I don’t know. I’m not sure. I haven’t thought about that and I haven’t spoken to the club yet.”

Geelong Cats Executive General Manager of Football, Andrew Mackie, outlined the importance of the experienced defender: "Mark's been an important player for us for a long time now.

"He consistently plays the roles required of him and brings experience that sets a strong example for the group."