Failure is starting to wear on me, says O’Shea
AIDAN O’SHEA insists he never bought into Dublin’s aura of invincibility after watching the All-Ireland holders’ 36-match unbeaten run in League and Championship ended by Kerry.
Asked if he took any solace from Dublin’s defeat in the League final, he replied: ‘I would have preferred if it was us that beat them. I didn’t think Dublin were unbeatable anyway. I don’t think anyone believed that. If you look at the League fixtures, some teams ran them really, really close.
‘We know from playing them, there is the potential to do it. It takes a big performance. Don’t get me wrong, they are a serious outfit.’
As Mayo restart their Holy Grail quest to lift the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time since 1951, O’Shea is frank when discussing his own legacy.
‘If I sat and looked back on my career in a couple of years’ time, I’d like to have an All-Ireland medal.
‘It definitely gets harder. You just invest so much time, invest so much into it and fully believe you are going to win. After the first one, you’re probably thinking, “This is going to happen next year… ” And you’re young. You don’t really appreciate the magnitude of what’s just after happened.
‘But when you’re 26, and it’s number three, you’re going “Jesus, it’s not like we’re being blown out of the water here. We’re losing by a point.” It is hard to take.
‘I still think we are capable of winning an AllIreland. Fully believe it.’