It only takes one glimpse of Connor O'Sullivan to understand the amount of work he has put in over the pre-season. 

Standing at 198cm he was already an exciting prospect, but the young gun is now matching that with plenty of athleticism and strength, which has been built during his first full pre-season with the Cats. 

Frequently mentioned by teammates as one that has impressed at training, O'Sullivan will be looking to build on his first season at the top level which saw him make his AFL debut, while also starring for Geelong's VFL team. 

O'Sullivan said he is looking to grow and develop in a number of areas this year, while commending the playing group for a strong pre-season ahead of an exciting 2025 campaign. 

"A big thing for me is building on the experience that I was lucky to have last year at both AFL and VFL level," O'Sullivan told Cats Media.

"I am trying to work on playing on more mature and bigger bodies, then working on my speed and power as well. That has been a big focus during my offseason. 

"I have been trying to get my body right, trying to get through a full preseason. In your first year, it is more about building good habits and getting into a routine that suits you.

"This preseason has been about putting that into practice and seeing how I go, but it has been a really good preseason across the board for all the boys."

Selected with the Cats top pick in the 2023 National Draft, O'Sullivan was touted as a unique player with the ability to play in multiple positions across the ground. 

He certainly showed those abilities last year in the Cats VFL team last year spending time as a key defender, on the wing and even pushed forward to kick a few goals. 

But 2025 seems to be a different outlook for O'Sullivan, with the emerging youngster noting that he has been spending plenty of time in defence throughout the pre-season. 

"Over the offseason the main focus for me has been working as a key defender," O'Sullivan said. 

"I am looking to build on the knowledge and the strengths of the other boys around me, hopefully to make me a better player as a result.

"Guys like Mark Blicavs, Jack Henry have helped but with the wealth of knowledge and experience amongst the group, you can lean on anybody and know you are going to get some good advice.

"I have been really lucky to have players to lean on that can really support me and help in my development."