1 DONEGAL DEMOLITION

Mayo v Donegal, 2013 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final

WHATEVER about this being Aidan O’Shea’s greatest Mayo ever performance, this was certainly his greatest ever midfield display.

It almost seems like a lifetime ago that we talked about O’Shea as a midfielder. Having begun life at full-forward, the Breaffy man found himself stationed around the middle from around 2011 or so.

He initially paired up with Barry Moran before his older brother, Séamus, earned a starting berth in 2013. Standing out like O’Shea did on that August Bank Holiday weekend was difficult, given that Mayo were absolutely exceptional, wiping out a jaded, jagged Donegal on a score of 4-17 to 1-10.

READ: Aidan O'Shea - Mayo's man for all seasons

Cillian O’Connor went to town with 3-4 and was one of fourteen unique Mayo scorers on the day. O’Shea was not among those fourteen, but he didn’t need to be. With an almost super-human display, he outfielded and outfought the Tír Conaill men in the sky, flattened before and after him on the ground and left dispirited Donegal men trailing after his every burst.

He emerged from the tunnel at half-time that day with a puffed chest and the gentle, menacing grimace of a man ready to raise hell once again. And that he surely did.

A second yellow card in the dying minutes marked an end to a colossal day’s work, one which earned a whole-hearted standing ovation from Mayo supporters who felt they could touch the heavens. Shows you don’t need to score to have an outstanding game.

2 O’SHEA VERSUS DONAGHY

Mayo v Kerry, 2017 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Semi-Final, Croke Park

THIS was arguably the most absorbing, entertaining and utterly enthralling one-on-one matchup in the modern history of Gaelic football.

After the Kerry crusader authored Mayo’s demise in 2014, it was suggested that one of the O’Sheas should have been dispatched to put manners on the man-mountain from Tralee.

David Brady, a man who did just that in 2006, publicly mooted the idea before Mayo’s 2017 All-Ireland semi-final clash with Kerry.

Still, to see the 6’4” O’Shea and the 6’5” Donaghy slugging out on a miserable wet day in Croker drew incredulous smiles, oohs, ahhs, hoops, hollers and jeers every time the ball came their direction.

Save for one Superman-like intervention that left the Kerry man flat on his back listening to the loudest roar of the afternoon, Donaghy got the better of O’Shea.

Not so in the replay, when O’Shea, with the help of teammates who took up occasional man-marking duties, had the last laugh.

The Titanic joust ended with a frustrated Donaghy getting sent off for boxing O’Shea in the jaw. The Mayo faithful unleashed a great triumphant cheer. Mayo were in the All-Ireland final, and the county’s pantomime villain was banished forevermore.

3 SLIGO BLITZED

Mayo v Sligo, 2015 Connacht Senior Football Championship Final, Dr Hyde Park

FROM this day on, every game Aidan O’Shea played at full-forward would be compared to this display. It has been regarded as a flash-in-the-pan performance, but O’Shea was virtually untouchable in this Connacht final.

Sligo had no obvious plan to shackle the Breaffy behemoth, who shot 3-4 as Mayo steamrolled the Yeats Men to secure their fifth Connacht title in a row.

Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly’s team won 6-25 to 2-11 in a game that taught Mayo very little and reflected the growing chasm between Division 1 and Division 3 teams.

Having O’Shea at full-forward was always part of Holmes and Connelly’s plans. He remained there for the All-Ireland quarter-final when Mayo renewed acquaintances with Donegal.

Though not as devastating as he was in 2013, O’Shea struck the killer goal when he caught a high ball from brother Séamus, swatted away big Neil McGee before blasting it past Paul Durcan.

We thought he’d do that every time he pulled on a 14 jersey. Instead, a variety of factors, including double-marking, better, bigger man markers and Mayo’s aversion to long high balls, meant he hasn't yet become the inside forward many thought he’d be.

In the autumn of a remarkable career, he finally seems to be making that position his own.

READ: 'There has to be more to why you're doing it' - Aidan O'Shea on Sam Maguire