The TV cameras may often show fleeting glimpses of this man in action but he is central to so much of what Mayo do.
It is hard to get a handle on just who is the country’s best football team right now but we all know the top four.
Coming into the All-Ireland semi finals, Tyrone and Dublin would appear to be in top shape. Kerry have looked good but they have yet to be truly tested.
Mayo refuse to go away and, last Monday, put in their best performance of the year to trounce Connacht rivals Roscommon. The form of Diarmuid O’Connor, Cillian O’Connor, Keith Higgins and a few more had been questioned heading into the quarter final replay.
Four goals, 19 points and shattered Roscommon dreams later and Mayo are suddenly a force again. If the criticism was over the top, though, so too is some of the praise. Mayo are not the finished product yet but they showed that they are capable of shrugging off the shackles and cutting loose.
One man that has been constant and consistent throughout the championship summer and he gets very little credit for it. Seamus O’Shea ran the show against the Rossies and he must have pushed younger brother Aidan close for the man of the match award.
For years – when Manchester United were winning Premier League titles but failing to add a fourth and fifth European Cup – Michael Carrick was questioned. He was accused of taking too much out of the ball, of lacking that cutting edge, not having that extra level necessary to make it at the top.
It was only after the likes of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes retired that Carrick’s class and composure was truly recognised. Carrick is the man that kept everything ticking over, got the ball to the right men at the right time and is a player that had the respect of each and every teammate.
O’Shea would be looked upon the same way. He is a fetcher, a carrier and a facilitator. A high-ball fielder and a guy not only kicks off attacks but cleans up messes and covers for teammates across the pitch.
Detractors would say O’Shea lacks an attacking thrust but he knows his job – to get the ball to the Mayo dangermen as rapidly and as cleanly as possible.
No sooner would O’Shea leap to claim a kick-out or clearance than he would be looking up and picking out the likes of Jason Doherty, the O’Connors or his brother. On four separate occasions, a high field from the midfielder would result in a scoring chance for the man he found with his pass. It led to three scores – 1-2.
Watching from a vantage point of Hill 16, O’Shea appeared to be constantly on the move, directing teammates and assessing the opposition. Himself and Tom Parsons did a number on the Roscommon midfield and joined in plenty of attacks. If he had possession, he very rarely lost it by fair means.
He played from minute one to minute 82 as Mayo showed their championship credentials, appearing to have as much fuel in the tank as he started with.
Kerry will be a whole other, tougher mountain to climb. David Moran is arguably the best midfielder in the country and won his duel with Brian Fenton in the league final. Eamon Fitzmaurice may side with the pacy, promising Jack Barry over veteran Anthony Maher.
This is where it gets painfully hard. It always so in August and September but O’Shea was born for this stuff. He revels in it.
