Dublin likely to target O’Shea’s dominance of the throw-ins

IT’S only a small thing but on a day where a grain of rice will tip the scale, the two throw-ins could be a big thing too.

Aidan O’Shea has been brilliant at throw-in time at the start of each half, winning nearly every one that he has contested before going to take up whatever role he had been assigned.

It won’t win or lose the game but Dublin know how crucial throw-ins can be and they might want to lay down a marker. Eamon Fennell won a vital one against Kieran Donaghy as they came from behind to win the 2011 final against Kerry.

It’s a big game for O’Shea (below) because Mayo will need him. And they’ll need him doing the things he does best, rather than something spectacular.

I know myself that sometimes with Tyrone we went into finals thinking we’d have to do something extraordinary to get over the line when, often, the opposite is true. In last year’s final I remember Aidan going for a point from about 45 metres out which is something he hadn’t tried to do all year.

That’s not his game. His is breaking tackles, winning turnovers, hitting hard and using the ball well. And now his game is winning throw-ins too. Leadership is not about doing the extraordinary thing, it’s about doing the ordinary thing and doing them very well and dominating your area of the pitch.

As much as possible, Mayo and O’Shea need to treat this like any other game.