Finn O'Sullivan kicks the ball during North Melbourne's clash against West Coast in round 13, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

IT'S about to become the most talented share house in the AFL.

Having become close mates throughout their time with both Vic Country and the AFL Academy across their draft years, Telstra AFL Rising Star nominees Finn O'Sullivan and Sam Lalor have caught up a fair bit this year to share their experiences through their first seasons in the League.

RISING STAR HUB Check out all this year's nominees

Next year, though, the pair will move in together. On the mantel piece will be their Rising Star nominations, with O'Sullivan taking out the latest round 15 gong to go with Lalor's award all the way back in round one.

"We're actually moving out together next year, believe it or not. That'll be pretty funny," O'Sullivan told AFL.com.au on Monday.

"When me and Sammy get together, not too much is spoken about footy. But it's a credit to him. He deserves everything that his footy has done for him. It's just a shame that his body's not holding up at the moment.

"You see the amount of work he puts in and it's no fluke that he's done what he's been doing this year. He's a bloody gun. I can't wait to see how his career unfolds."

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Lalor, Richmond's No.1 pick last year, started the season with a bang. O'Sullivan, the No.2 selection to North Melbourne, has gotten better with every week. Last Saturday, in a victory over Carlton, he produced his best performance yet with 18 disposals, three score involvements and three intercepts.

Thrown on a wing and across half-back at different stages throughout the season, the teenager has enjoyed the experience of trialling new roles but is destined to return to the midfield in the years to come.

"I've absolutely loved it," O'Sullivan said.

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"For me, my goal was getting a regular game coming into the season. You always want the football to take care of itself, so for me it was getting the connection piece with all of the players.

"You can see with the way our form is going at the moment, we're getting better and we're really united and connected with each other. That's how connected our football is and you can see that through our off-field stuff as well."

Finn O'Sullivan in action during North Melbourne's clash against Richmond in round 10, 2025. Picture: Getty Images

North Melbourne, like O'Sullivan, has shown glimpses of its improvement in recent weeks. It got more reward for its effort on Saturday, with the Kangas thumping Carlton through a dominant period on either side of half-time.

"It was a huge win," O'Sullivan said.

"You saw our last game against Carlton, we lost by however much. To come out and get the win … to be honest, we should've beat them by a bit more. Getting that win, it was definitely a big morale boost."

2025 Telstra AFL Rising Star nominees

Round one: Sam Lalor (Richmond)
Round two: Connor O'Sullivan (Geelong)
Round three: Harvey Langford (Melbourne)
Round four: Levi Ashcroft (Brisbane)
Round five: Archie Roberts (Essendon)
Round six: Murphy Reid (Fremantle)
Round seven: Xavier Lindsay (Melbourne)
Round eight: Hugo Garcia (St Kilda)
Round nine: Nate Caddy (Essendon)
Round 10: Cooper Lord (Carlton)
Round 11: Angus Clarke (Essendon)
Round 12: Ed Allan (Collingwood)
Round 13: Dan Curtin (Adelaide)
Round 14: Tyrell Dewar (West Coast)
Round 15: Finn O'Sullivan (North Melbourne)