GEELONG premiership defender Mark O'Connor has completed a rare double, winning his first All-Ireland title at Croke Park on Monday morning (AEDT).

With his Cats teammates Patrick Dangerfield, Mark Blicavs and Jack Henry in attendance, O'Connor's Dingle side claimed the Gaelic football title with a nail-biting win over St Brigid's, with victory secured in the final seconds of extra time.

Drafted by the Cats a decade ago, O'Connor has played 147 AFL games - including the club's 2022 Grand Final win - but has continued to play Gaelic football during the AFL off-season.

It got him in some hot water in 2018 when he played a match for Dingle without Geelong's permission, but the Cats have since given the Irishman their blessing to play Gaelic football around his AFL commitments.

O’Connor joins Tadhg Kennelly and Conor McKenna, and AFLW players Jennifer Dunne, Vikki Wall and Sinead Goldrick as footballers to win both an AFL or AFLW premiership and an All-Ireland title.  

The 29-year-old praised the Cats overnight for helping him achieve his lifelong dream of winning an All-Ireland championship.

"I really want to pay tribute to Geelong," he said.

"I played a few years ago without permission and got into a small bit of trouble for it. But when I explained what the club meant to me, they said 'why didn't you just ask?'

"They've been unbelievable ever since. I can say with full confidence I wouldn't still be in Australia if it wasn't for them.

"They're just different. They care about what matters to you as a person.

"It hasn't fully sunk in yet. It doesn't get any more special than this.

"If there's anything that I thought I'd ever get out of sport this is probably the one I'd choose. This is the most personal ... it's a dream."

O'Connor's victory comes after Australian and Irish officials met in late 2024 to discuss the potential return of the International Rules series.

The AFL has been open to exploring ways of bringing back the cross-code format, which was last seen in 2017.