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"He is like the dictator back there" - Donaghy on Aidan O'Shea

On Monday’s OTB AM the subject was raised of whether Aidan O’Shea, as a defensive sweeper, co...



Football

"He is like the dictator back there" - Donaghy on Aidan O'Shea

On Monday’s OTB AM the subject was raised of whether Aidan O’Shea, as a defensive sweeper, could become a target for opposition teams when he is without the support of Mattie Ruane and Diarmuid O’Connor.

On Saturday O’Shea was up against Galway’s Peter Cook and while Mayo threatened to trounce the Tribesmen early on, the game finished a lot closer with Cook scoring 0-4.

When asked whether opposition teams could now exploit the Breaffy clubman as a weak point and provide a healthy supply channel into O'Shea's marker, Donaghy noted that it was not a fault on O’Shea’s part but rather due to his leadership style and Mayo’s defensive system.

“He was really only on him for one of the points. As in right on him, he was back helping the other times,” Donaghy responded.

“If you're playing help defence, as Mayo do, I don't think they are worried about who scores it's just the opposition scoring [that they care about].

“He certainly did go at Aidan O’Shea and it’s certainly something that Mayo will look to tighten up on. But when Aidan is back helping he is like the dictator back there.

“When he goes back he moves Colm O'Boyle out and he says that he will sit. He is very good at organising them, he's a great communicator.

“The hands are going all the time, he's shouting at fellas to push. But yeah, at times it did look like he was leaving himself a small bit isolated as a defensive sweeper.

“When his man eventually did get onto the ball he couldn't get out to him in time. But Cook's four points were excellent and it is possibly somewhere that Kerry would look to get a David Moran in there and get on the ball a lot but I would say it is something that Mayo will have tidied up by next Sunday."

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Aidan O'shea Galway GAA Kieran Donaghy Mayo GAA