Sport is a young man’s game. Aging joints and diminishing reflexes are not the stuff sporting dreams are made of. And as in all walks of life, the regenerative pool of the next batch of younger, fitter and hungrier future stars are ever ready to snip at the well worn heels of veterans. But every now and then a player will challenge the notion that in the world of GAA, 30 is over the hill. After notching up ten All Ireland Hurling Medals, King Henry Shefflin retired from the Kilkenny Senior Team last year at the age of 35. In football, Monaghan’s Dick Clerkin has kitted out for 16 seasons with no plans of stopping and Longford’s Paul Barden only hung up his boots this year after making the team from the age of 18 to 35.
Source: Inpho
But perhaps the greatest example of the perils of ageism on the GAA playing field is Kerry legend Jack O’Shea. On the year that the Cahersiveen native won his eleventh and final Munster title as captain of Kerry he had been dubbed ‘an aging has been’ by Meath player Liam Hayes, who publically called for his retirement. The then 34-year-old maintained a dignified silence, choosing to silence his critics the only way he knew how – by winning his place on the team.
Making his senior Kerry debut in 1976, Jack missed out on a spot in the now legendary All Ireland final which saw the Super Dubs triumph over the Kingdom. But in just two years time he would get his chance to secure the Sam Maguire for the south and his first All Ireland medal.
He added another three to his collection in subsequent years and was named the Texaco Footballer of the Year in 1980 and 1981. After the disappointment of missing out on the five in a row dream to Offaly in ’82, O’Shea’s Kerry came back fighting against old adversaries Dublin in ’84.
As well as picking up his fifth All Ireland medal, O’Shea was selected as one of midfield positions in the GAA’s Football Team of the Century to mark its centenary year. The following two years produced a further two medals and The Footballer of the Year award for a record fourth occasion.
Source: Inpho
As Kerry’s glory days ebbed away, Jack continued to fight amongst the increasingly younger players for this spot on the starting fifteen. Often citing his fitness and stamina to be due to a combination of avoiding both alcohol and injuries throughout his career, Jack bowed out of the game in 1992 after being defeated by Clare in the Munster Senior final. Speaking to Hogan Stand magazine just before his announcement, Jack said, ‘It would be good to know when to go, it’s questionable when is exactly the right time. If I had gone last year I would have missed out on so much. Knowing I’m not keeping anyone out of the team is important.’
And perhaps that is the mark of a truly great player, something that can not be determined by years or medals or rhyming chants from adoring crowds; but a sense of being but one mechanism in a much bigger machine and the wisdom of knowing when you’re helping or hindering it’s potential.
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