The former Kerry player and manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice was speaking on the RTE GAA podcast this week and believes Aidan O’Shea would be best used on the edge of the square, quoted by SportsJoe.
MORE HERE: (Video) Alan Shearer’s daughter showcases toned rear during luxury boat trip
“Would he spook Jack O’Connor if he stuck Aidan O’Shea in on the edge of the square?”
“Even if they put a couple of balls in in the opening ten minutes, and even if they didn’t win them, it refocuses the Kerry management mindset, distracts them and it just offers something different.”
“I 100% agree,” added Fitzmaurice. “I’ve long felt that it’s his best position. And if Mayo used him in there he could be very effective as a target man, maybe not as a huge scoring threat, he’d probably score more goals than points.
“Take Tadhg Morley’s role, which has been very important for Kerry this year, and if he is setting up for a traditional Mayo attack, he is beginning as a sweeper further out, he’s playing from the top of the ‘D’, his job as a sweeper is to deal with runners.”
“Whereas if you had Aidan O’Shea inside as a target man, Morley has to drop 20 yards deeper to deal with kick-ball inside and it creates the space outside for the runners to come in as well.
“So straight away, that little bit of a change to Tadhg’s role, it changes the dynamic for him.
“James Horan will argue that his way of playing is effective and it has got them so far but it hasn’t won them the big, big games, so I do think that they need to come with something slightly different this weekend.”