O'Shea-Donaghy Part II wouldn't surprise Brogan

August 22, 2017

Kerry's Kieran Donaghy and Aidan O'Shea of Mayo.
©INPHO/Ryan Byrne.

Former Dublin forward Alan Brogan says he wouldn't be surprised to see Aidan O'Shea picking up Kieran Donaghy again in Saturday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final replay.

Mayo and Kerry played out a thrilling 2-14 apiece draw at Croke Park last Sunday and afterwards much of the talk surrounded O'Shea's surprise move back to guard the Kerry full-forward.

Speaking on the Independent.ie's 'The Throw-In' GAA podcast, three-time All-Ireland winner Brogan believes it's a tactic which could still prove useful for Stephen Rochford's team against the Kingdom this weekend.

"I think in the week leading up to it he (Rochford) spoke to Aidan O'Shea and said what about this and in his mind Aidan O'Shea would have been visualising these high balls and long diagonal balls, and you could see the one ball that came in in the first half he went for it and won the ball," he stated.

"Now he should have had a free given against him for a bit of a charge so he was pumped up for that type of ball.

"But I think he didn't think about the ball on the ground beforehand and he was maybe caught unawares with the amount of ball that came in low to Kieran Donaghy.

"When he turned, Kieran Donaghy couldn't believe the amount of space he had. He nearly looked shocked by the space he had. I think if Aidan O'Shea looked closely at that and changed the way he played, he could still do the job in the air and really improve in how he defended him on the ground, get up alongside him and stop Kieran Donaghy getting that low ball in."

He added: "He's physically strong enough to deal with (Donaghy) and quick enough to deal with him and I don't think he is as important out the field as people might think. He went for Donal Vaughan out around the middle and I think the pace he brings around the middle compared to Aidan O'Shea improves the Mayo team."


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