‘Marc Ó Sé's real strength was his agility and anticipation’, says Jack O’Connor

Like his hero before him, Marc Ó Sé was a square peg in a round hole.

But like Seamus Moynihan, by the time he was done he had bent that circle to his will.

Versatility is what defined both. Atruism too. No two footballers sacrificed so much of themselves for their team. Jack O’Connor was the man to grant Moynihan his freedom but Ó Sé’s malleability was too good to ignore.

“It’s often said of Marc Ó Sé that he was too good of a footballer to be a corner-back and there is merit in that,” said O’Connor yesterday.

“He began life with me in the No. 7 shirt in the 2004 All-Ireland final on the opposite wing to his brother Tomás. He kicked the opening point in that final with the outside of his right into the Canal End after less than a minute.

“Within 15 minutes, he was back to No. 2 after we had conceded a goal and that’s where he stayed for most of his career. That summed it up in a nutshell. He was a real footballing corner-back. That was by no means the last point he kicked from corner-back. In the 2006 quarter-final against Armagh he kicked two great points in the second half, one with each foot.

“His real strength as a defender was his agility and anticipation. He often played from the front but had the agility to get back if it went over the top. Marc could defend man-on-man in an era when blanket defences didn’t exist. Nowadays, the inside line is rarely exposed and have plenty cover.

“I was a member of a selection committee that picked the best team of the last 30 years and there wasn’t much argument when it came to picking the No. 2. The contribution that Marc and the Ó Sé family have made to Kerry football has been incalculable.”

Éamonn Fitzmaurice touched on the same point, also mentioning those scores against Armagh 10 years ago – for character, though, was there any better than his point which forced extra-time against Cork in the 2010 Munster semi-final replay? He too never diverged from keeping Ó Sé as his star breaker.

“I had the honour of both playing and managing Marc. He was an outstanding team-mate and a pleasure to manage. He for many years was the back that got to mark the opposition’s number one danger man. More often than not, we could take that as mission accomplished.

“As well as being an outstanding man-marker, he also possessed a rare natural football ability. He was a footballing defender and was an attacking corner-back long before it was en vogue, kicking scores from the No. 2 position as far back as the All Ireland quarter-final against Armagh in 2006.

“He also had a huge presence in the dressing room, which was of particular significance in the last few years. He led by example and helped to drive a culture of excellence within the set-up. Be it excelling in the football sessions, winning runs, driving gym sessions or speaking in meetings, Marc was to the forefront of everything we did. Many of our younger players learned a huge amount from him as he displayed to them what it takes to be a Kerry footballer and the responsibilities that go with that. The respect within the group for him is absolute.”

As it is among opponents — several of them ranging from Pádraic Joyce to Seán Cavanagh queueing up to compliment him on how he carried himself on the field.

Sent off just once in championship fare, a red card which was later rescinded (a black card followed against Tyrone last year), Ó Sé’s disciplinary record was impeccable.

As the last of the Ó Sé brothers to retire, there is understandable attention given to yesterday’s news being the end of an era. Darragh and Tomás, upon their retirements, were recognised on their own merits. Marc, as much as he is the one to close the book, has done enough to be treated the same.

Former Kerry full-back Barry O’Shea, on Twitter, perhaps summed him up best: “A touch of class leaves the stage. We won’t replace @osemarc2 too easily. Had more class than @tomas5ky and Dara but don’t tell them that”