Mayo footballer is back home after his Australian Rules trial
Mike Finnerty
MAYO footballer Aidan O’Shea returned from his two-week Australian Rules trial on Sunday — and immediately turned his attention to the new GAA season which begins next month.
The Breaffy teenager spent the last fortnight in Melbourne on trial with the Western Bulldogs club but, despite speculation about his future plans, O’Shea is fully committed to Mayo in 2010.
“I said before I went that I was committing to Mayo football for 2010 and nothing has changed in that regard,” he told The Mayo News yesterday (Monday).
“The Western Bulldogs are going to monitor me over the coming months but there’s no question of any deal being done. I’m playing for Mayo next year and not looking beyond that at the moment.
“I’m glad I went out,” he added. “It broadened my horizons. My fitness levels have definitely improved too, and I was working with a dietician out there which won’t do me any harm.
“I think going on trial will improve me as a footballer, and help my lifestyle. I believe it will stand to me in the future, in 2010 and beyond.”
The 19 years-old was preparing to return to his studies in Dublin yesterday, less than twenty-four hours after stepping off his flight home from Australia. O’Shea was understandably tired, after being put through a gruelling two-week trial, but he was also reflecting very positively on his first Australian Rules experience.
“I knew going out it was going to be tough, it wasn’t going to be a holiday,” he said. “The big thing that struck me was the constant intensity of the training, every day.
“During the days we were cycling or running or boxing or swimming, and then we did weights in the evenings. There was always something different. I went straight to bed when I got home because I was wrecked, so I didn’t get to see much of Melbourne.
“But I enjoyed it to the extent that the training was beneficial to me. It was bonus pre-season training for me really, in terms of getting fit for next season with Mayo.”