O’SHEA SPLITS OPINION BUT CAN UNITE THE WESTERNERS
ON an afternoon when one of Gaelic football’s biggest figures was felled, it was perhaps lost that another was elevated.
Inevitably, the ankle dislocation which casts such doubt over Cathal McShane’s summer — the drama heightened by his decision to reject an offer from the AFL just weeks earlier — dominated the news agenda.
That probably suited James Horan, who revealed in the aftermath of his team’s nine-point defeat in Clones that Aidan O’Shea was the new captain of Mayo.
There is a lot about O’Shea that makes him a lightning rod for attention, some of which flatters, and more of which appears to be such an affront to his critics that their disapproval can barely be concealed.
Why that should be the case, is anyone’s guess.
Perhaps, it is because a player with a personality as big as his 6ft 4in frame, has never been shy of speaking his mind.
The sense is that when Mayo’s yarns of serial heartbreak teased sympathy from every part of the country, even Roscommon and Galway, there were some who, rather than extend their condolences, were more inclined to prosecute the argument that O’Shea was one of the main reasons why they were not champions.
And sometimes he did not have to look too far for his detractors.
When former managers Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes broke their silence 14 months after being unseated by a 2015 player coup, O’Shea was not name-checked but did not appear far from their thoughts.
‘If some egos aren’t checked and outside influences curbed, the problems will continue
‘It won’t matter how many Twitter followers you had during your playing days. The only question that counts for players on top teams is: have you AllIreland medals?’ said Holmes.
With O’Shea having the largest social media following, and an admission that they had stopped the midfielder taking part in a reality TV show that would have seen him spend time at Sunderland FC, there was no disguising who their displeasure was aimed at — he would later go on to take part in the same show 12 months later as he tried his hand at American football.
However, the irony for Holmes and Connolly is that arguably no player had taken them closer to achieving their ambition in their one season in charge in 2015. He was outstanding in the Connacht final and delivered a man-of-thematch performance in the AllIreland quarterfinal win over Donegal. Perhaps, it is because of the expectation the bar is raised when he is critiqued — he was seen coming from down the line and was the star turn on a Mayo minor team that reached the 2008 All-Ireland final. What is often missed is that he has been at the heart of one of the game’s most resilient dressing rooms. Twelve seasons and two All-Stars into a fine career, his commitment to the Mayo cause hardly needs reaffirmation. But he has been burned by some of the criticism, which wandered into the ludicrous a few years ago when former Meath All-Ireland winner Bernard Flynn hammered him for breaking away from a postmatch huddle to facilitate autograph-hunting children in a prechampionship challenge game. ‘That’s exactly why Aidan O’Shea plays the way he does,’ suggested Flynn. But exactly what way is that? O’Shea has been one of Mayo’s best and consistent players over the last decade and as the team has begun to wane, he has, if anything, got better. His selfless performance in the 2018 qualifier defeat to Kildare is one that sticks out, but no matter how well he plays it may never be enough for some. One of the reasons is that he is inevitably compared with Donegal’s Michael Murphy — two big men who were teenage prodigies who happened to come along at the same time.
There probably is no player, big or small, who comes off favourably when compared to Murphy, whose skill-set is all embracing. The complete footballer, the Donegal captain catches, kicks, runs, links, scores, from frees and from play. Murphy may well go down as one of the greatest players to play this game, but that should hardly be a stick to beat O’Shea with.
Like Murphy, the national obsession in finding a definitive role for O’Shea has created enough copy to play a not insignificant part in the deforestation of the Amazon, with some pressing that he should be limited to the orthodox full-forward role in which he wreaked havoc on Donegal in 2015.
However, his importance out the field, particularly given their lack of options, should mean that there will be no radical change in role.
Last Sunday, in his first formal game as captain, he ran the game against Monaghan for a half and by the game’s end, he was the source of 0-6 of his team’s final tally of 0-13.
That’s almost a 50 per cent assist rate, the kind of figure that a normal full-forward would take a full-back’s head off for.
He looked every bit the captain who will lead his team out on home turf for the first time on Saturday with, fittingly, Kerry — the county of his parents — providing the opposition.
‘Maybe it’s the way I’m built, but if I see something we can improve, I’m not going to sit by and say nothing,’ said O’Shea in an interview two years ago.
‘I don’t think you want anyone like that anywhere. That’s not divisive. We want to improve things, I’d be like that, and it doesn’t go anywhere beyond that.
‘I’ve been on every single leadership group since I was 19, 20 years of age. I’d like to think there’s a reason why that happened.’
And that is the same reason why this has happened, too.
Doesn’t have to look far for his detractors
Commitment to Mayo needs no restating