Mayo's Aidan O'Shea admits that the length of time it took to decide if Kevin McStay would remain as Mayo senior football manager for the upcoming season was "silly."
A review into Mayo's 2024 season, conducted between the Mayo GAA county board and the senior management team, finally concluded last month.
In the end, it was decided that McDonald would remain in charge, despite claims from some that not everyone was happy with the decision.
O'Shea, a long-time servant of Mayo, believes the process could have moved much faster than it did.
“There’s been a lot of noise and a lot of silliness going on over the last couple of months. I don’t understand why things couldn’t be boxed off and moved forward into 2025 like every other county is doing,” O'Shea told Mayo Live.
Now, O'Shea is keen to focus on the upcoming football season and put the off-field issues behind him.
Aidan, right, and Seamus O'Shea in conversation before the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 2 match between Tipperary and Mayo at Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. (Photo By Ray McManus/Sportsfile via Getty Images)“It is what it is. We are where we are. We’re moving forward into a new year, and whoever is in that squad, we’re all looking forward to it.”
The 34-year-old, in the twilight of his career, is assumed by many to be nearing retirement. However, despite being a veteran, O'Shea explained that he is determined to put in the hard work at the club level, like everyone else, in order to earn another Mayo call-up next year.
“It’s funny when you’re playing club games; people are laughing at you about Mayo, saying you’re not playing for Mayo anymore. But nobody’s playing for Mayo right now. You’ve got to prove yourself out here on the club pitch to try and get picked again,” said the 34-year-old.
“I want to play, so hopefully my club form justifies that. I’m going to be off for the month of January, so we’ll see what happens after that.”
