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12th August 2019
05:59pm BST

There was plenty of convincing to do. McShane looked a long way off.
Examined closely however, Mickey Harte was plotting. The semblances of a plan were linking together as one. Take the first two rounds of the League in 2017 for example when McShane lined out at full forward against Roscommon and then against Dublin. Watch this space.
The experiment was soon abandoned yet the seeds were sown. One to revisit? Maybe later.
Back out the field for 2018, McShane finally nailed a place down. Lár na Páirce the whole season long, his year was solid if unspectacular. The main talking point was probably his corner forward berth in the Super 8s game against Roscommon. That plan you were on about.
2019 and Cathal McShane has come of age. Mickey Harte's plan has come full circle.
From full forward, he lorded it in the League, most notably against Dublin in Croke Park. Tyrone had a legitimate out-ball to compliment their running game. The Championship was eagerly anticipated up north. Tyrone had a chance again.
It all hinged on their flame-headed assassin on the edge of the square but the pressure was non-existent in his man about ball world. All he wanted to do was win the ball and kick a point and then do the exact same thing again. The less time between the scores the better. Number 14 was in a hurry.
Derry were destroyed as Tyrone's kicking game kicked into gear. McShane took no less than Slaughtneil's finest Brendan Rogers to the cleaners. Five from play and plenty of admirers. Onto the next one.
That was the story of the summer. Donegal did the best job of nullifying him but that wasn't purely the work of Neil McGee. Hugh McFadden sat in front of McShane the whole game long.
He didn't drop the head though, he came back for more during the qualifiers. His scoring returns on that run, right the way up to Sunday's semi-final defeat to Kerry were jaw-dropping.
3-50 he'd managed in nine games. 3-24 from play (the same amount as Andy Moran when the Mayo man won the Footballer of the Year award in 2017.) That's an average of almost seven points a game.
McShane is priced at 50/1 with Paddy Power for FOTY, but can be got at 100s with Boylesports[/caption]
He consistently scored, assisted or won and then kicked a free when they needed a score. The amount of ball he won with defenders hanging out of him was unprecedented. His scores from all kinds of angles in Croke Park on Sunday summed up his appetite for the big day.
There has been no footballer in Ireland as consistently inspirational as he has been for his county this year.
Priced at 100/1 for Footballer of the Year. You must be joking.Explore more on these topics: