They came to see the killers but left in awe of the giant.
Jesus, Aidan O’Shea was immense today. He was all over that Croke Park pitch – in attack and defence – and throwing him in for hop balls is just cruelty.
Every time there was a hold-up, Anthony Nolan would signal he was going to thrown the ball up. O’Shea would saunter over and the contest was over before it began. Earlier this year, O’Shea told SportsJOE:
“It helps that Mother Nature has me at 6’4 and just shy of 16 stone.”
He looked every inch and ounce of it today.
This summer has been one in which O’Shea has answered a lot of critics and proved he is very much a force to be reckoned with, and one who teams struggle to reckon with. Sean Mullooly, we were told, had O’Shea in his pocket last weekend.
The only way Mullooly could stop the Breaffy man in the replay was by clambering all over him and taking grasps of his jersey. It prompted one memorable line from a Mayo fan:
“Jesus Christ lad, you’re not in the Castlecourt now!”
O’Shea knocked over two points and made life a living hell for Roscommon from the first minute until the 61st, when he was withdrawn to a rousing ovation.
Rousing reception for Aidan O'Shea as he is subbed off. He was superb today. pic.twitter.com/buBDVTh5wc
— Pat McCarry (@patmccarry) August 7, 2017
O’Shea was announced as man of the match as the game wound down and the scoreboard stopped ticking over at 4-19 to 0-9. He told RTE that Mayo expect everyone to doubt them so this summer is no different to any other summer.
He paid tribute to his team and the fans and was on his way down the tunnel after hugging Cillian O’Connor, the only other Mayo man on the pitch for a post-match interview.
It was then that he spotted Roscommon sub Ian Kilbride, who had been speaking to family and friends in one of the front rows of the Cusack Stand. O’Shea tapped him on the shoulder and gave him a hearty hug. No handshakes here. It was great to see two foes putting it all aside with a grand gesture.
It could have so easily been another O’Shea claiming that man of the match accolade. Seamus O’Shea had his best game of the summer and he looked a class above the other midfielders on show.
O’Shea’s high fielding was remarkable and he proved the ultimate fetcher – dispossessing Roscommon players, being there for the breaking balls, chasing down the lost causes. On two occasions, he claimed booming kick-outs from Ciaran Lavin, charged forward and fed the ball to a teammate to score.
He rarely made a poor pass. He found the dangermen at regular intervals and then dropped back to plug gaps while they made hay. When Roscommon dared to break the stranglehold, he would take it as a personal affront and go off in pursuit, making life as difficult as possible for them.
By the end of the match the Roscommon kick-outs were an utter car crash. Mayo had their tails up and Seamus O’Shea was reigning supreme. Claim it, surge, pass it on, do it again.
Aidan got the credit while Seamus headed to the dressing room. One brother followed the other to the dressing room but both had done their job, and then some.
Seamus rarely gets a look-in – he was tweeted about three times during the match – but his teammates will know what a shift he put in today.
When Seamus O'Shea is on the ball 🙈 #MAYOvROS
— Gavin Walker (@walksy10) August 7, 2017
A lot of deserved praise coming Aidan O'Shea's way but Seamus has been an absolute diamond
— Pat McCarry (@patmccarry) August 7, 2017
Roscommon 0-6 v Mayo 4-13 Fine fielding in middle of field by Mayo's Seamus O'Shea, starts attack! 58 min #GAA #ROSvMAY #PhillysUpdates
— PhillyMc (@MoysPhillyMc) August 7, 2017
Kerry will be a mighty prospect and Mayo will need the O’Shea brothers to reproduce what they doled out to hapless Roscommon.
Aidan and Seamus, in the thick of it again.
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