MARC Ó SÉ says Sean O’Shea deserves to take his place among the best free-takers we’ve ever seen after nailing the winning score to send Kerry into the All-Ireland final.
The Kerry centre-forward held his nerve at the end of stoppage-time with a kick for the ages from outside 55 metres and against the breeze.
It arrived after a spirited Dublin fightback that looked set to force extra-time, handing Kerry their first championship victory over Dublin in seven games.
“We’ve spoken about the great free-takers of the modern era and Dean Rock is obviously up there, but now I think Sean O’Shea has shown us that (he belongs there),” said Ó Sé on the latest episode of The42 GAA Weekly.
“It’s easy to kick these balls over the bar in training or in a game if you’re leading by six or seven points, the hard one to do is where the game is there in the melting pot in front of 73,000 people and to do that.
“First of all when the free was there, I thought (David) Clifford was going to go at it with the outside of the left boot. Secondly, I was looking at Shane Ryan coming up the field and he looked as though he wanted it. I have to give Sean O’Shea great credit here.
“He missed the penalty. I would remind you a small bit of Oisin McConville back in 2002, missing the penalty in the All-Ireland against Kerry and then getting that decisive goal in the second-half that propelled Armagh on to beat us in the final. Similar here, unbelievable mental fortitude by Sean O’Shea to take the kick.
“I was looking at the flags and there was a really strong wind. The scoring goal was the Canal End goal. You could see that as the game went on because Dublin were to the fore in the second-half.
“That was well outside the 45 number one and number two, it was a really hard kick into the wind. For a fella that missed the penalty to take that on, it was just a ballsy kick.
“We all know the talent that is Sean O’Shea but he’s gone well up in my estimation in terms of the mental strength to take that and win the game for Kerry. Just unbelievable, a kick for the ages to be honest.”
“The ball starts outside and then it comes back in. Not only was he well outside the 45 but you push those goalposts back another 10 yards and that ball is still going over the bar. It was a huge kick, a monstrous kick.”
He also hailed the impact of fellow An Ghaeltacht man Brian Ó Beaglaoich.
“For the job he did on Ciaran Kilkenny, Brian O Beaglaoich, he never went hiding, especially for kick-outs. Kilkenny was always going to come into the game.”
