O’Shea ready for the big stage and he almost didn’t make it

You’ve all seen him on the pitch.

Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea is a strong, aggressive player who has the power to break down packed defences with his direct running.

Now ask yourself, what kind of man do you think he is like off the pitch?

A brooding hulk? Not quite. He’s the team’s practical joker, the guy you don’t leave your phone or Facebook page open unattended.

Given the chance to land one of his room-mate and midfield colleague Barry Moran in it, he’s straight in there. “Barry leaves me on his own, he goes off with Cillian [O’Connor] watching The Wire for some reason, I dunno,” he laughs. “He leaves me lonely in the room but I don’t mind.”

And told he looked in good shape after several injuries, he quickly responds: “Jesus thanks very much!”

He can’t help it. He’s 22 but has been playing senior inter-county football since 2009. This is the most successful year he’s had but should have missed it. Osteitis pubis, an inflammation of the pubic bone associated with overuse, made him think the year was over in April. The pain became so severe he had to make the toughest decision of his career.

“I suppose I’m lucky, there’s two boys in the panel, Ger Cafferkey and Chris Barrett had it before, and they were out for a year with it. I got through it in 15 weeks which is quite good. It’s great to be back playing because sometimes I thought I wouldn’t be back this year,” he said.

“Knowing a good buddy of mine, Tom Parsons, he played with Mayo a couple of years ago. He’s had it for the last 18 months and can’t play football at the moment. That’s how severe it can get if you don’t treat it right and I got to a stage where against Kerry in the last regular game of the league down in Kerry I couldn’t get up off the floor after the game and Barry [Moran] had to lift me off the floor.

“I literally could not get off the floor. It was a long bus journey home from Kerry and I was in serious pain.

“It was affecting my day-to-day life so I had to make a decision on my own future. I sent out an email the next day to James, saying that I wasn’t playing the following week in the league semi-final. It was probably the hardest thing I had to do as a footballer because you’re missing a big occasion and I don’t like missing games. But I had to do it for the long-term because I knew it was going to be beneficial.”

It was tough being on the sidelines with no definite return date. He spent his time with Castlebar physio Martin McIntyre and Mayo team physio Liam Moffatt. But there was only really one thing he could do. Rest and hope it cleared up. That said, he did enjoy the chance to relax while his team-mates were bursting a gut at their pre-championship training camp.

“I got a bit of slagging in Portugal because I got to chill out by the pool and the lads reckoned I was wearing a little thong. But don’t believe them. The tan is still going strong though,” he laughed.

It worked a treat though and fulfilled something he always knew would happen – playing in an All-Ireland SFC final.

“I’ve been at 10 or 12 All-Ireland finals and obviously knowing that I’d be there one day myself. I was quite confident I would be there and I’m quite confident I’ll be there a few times before I finish as well.”

Now on the verge of that final, it’s all talk about Donegal and Mayo’s confidence after failing in so many previous finals. And for once we see the personality more often reserved for the pitch. “Everyone is going to crop up 2006 when ye are writing about this final, about how Mayo lost in ’06, but, if you break it down, six of the team who started [and two subs] against Dublin had a great year in ’06, they won the U21 All-Ireland.

“I think there’s only three or four lads who played in the ’06 [senior] final. It’s the way you look at these things.

“Mickey Conroy has some record. I think he has played three years of championship football and Mayo have been in a final every year. That fella is flying. He’s delighted with his confidence there. Some boys haven’t won them but they’ve played in big, big games and they’re going to get strength from that.”

There’s a serious side to O’Shea and he’s keen to show the serious side to Mayo football on Sunday.