Cillian O’Connor didn’t shoot the lights out in Croke Park on Sunday. He wasn’t the one carrying the team’s cross against Roscommon.
Other players stood up for the Yew County. Lee Keegan was bloody heroic. Andy Moran was counted like he so often is, Paddy Durcan showcased his balls of the proverbial stainless variety, with some crucial, and we mean crucial scores.
Cillian O’Connor might not have had his best day in a Mayo jersey. He kicked a few chances wide, that he would so often slot with his eyes closed. He wasn’t as reliable as he usually is from a dead ball situation.
But that does not bloody mean that he’s ‘overrated,’ that he’s a ‘bottler,’ because those were some of the senseless insults being fired at the Ballintubber man, who has soldiered heroically for so many years in that Mayo jersey.
One game should not even come close to creating an opinion on a man who has displayed his class, his nerve, his ability on the highest stage on so many occasions in the past.
This Mayo side are the most exciting, emotionally charged teams this country has ever seen, and Cillian O’Connor, despite being only a 25-year-old has been to the forefront of all their battles.
This is a man who slotted a point deep in injury time to send last year’s All-Ireland final against Dublin to a replay. This is a man who kicked seven nerveless points at this stage last year, when his team were struggling against Tyrone. This is a man who kicked 0-6 from open play just last bloody weekend when all around him were floundering against Cork.
Where the hell were all these haters then? They were nowhere to be seen, and with good right because they had no reason to be seen then, and they have no reason to be seen now.
The Mayo stalwart received torrents of abuse from those behind computer screens for his display on Sunday.
The argument that O’Connor doesn’t do it from open play doesn’t hold any weight either, because the Mayo man has shown on numerous occasions in the past that he’s one of the most lethal forwards in the game.
Just because he doesn’t have the pace, the flashy nature that some other forwards have doesn’t mean he’s not up there with the best.
Mayo and Roscommon will do it all again in Croke Park on the Bank Holiday Monday, August 7th and if recent history is anything to go by, Cillian O’Connor will be back and he will be leading this Mayo team like he always does.
This man rarely puts two bad games together.
Somewhere, it has to stop.
Here’s just a sample of what was said about the man.
https://twitter.com/TomWrynne/status/891738092234780673
https://twitter.com/foleykidd/status/891700616573202432
People who say Cillian O'Connor would get into any county team are wrong, overrated
— Tom O'Connor (@TommyOC92) July 30, 2017
Cillian o'connor the most over rated arsehole in Gaa #ROSvMAY
— Ray Kelly (@raykelly88) July 30, 2017
Cillian O'Connor put on a pedestal as a great footballer, yet every time he plays in croke park he bottles it. #thesundaygame
— Derek Melia (@DerekMelia5) July 30, 2017
