"A funny old motion" is how Kerry star Sean O'Shea views the one that goes before GAA congress this weekend, which, if passed, will allow a referee to award a point if it's deemed an opponent has prevented a kicker from scoring a free or sideline by shaking the posts.
As O'Shea took the kick which sealed Kerry's victory in last year's All-Ireland semi-final, Dublin goalkeeper Evan Comerford put the posts in motion.
"I didn’t notice it at all," said O'Shea on Tuesday at the announcement of Allianz’s new sponsorship of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
"You wouldn’t notice that at all when your head is down and focusing on the strike. You’d be used to it, really. If someone is banging the crossbar or hanging off of it but it wouldn’t really cross your eyeline. It’s not something you have to worry about a freetaker.
"Even fellas standing in front of you, you’d be so used to it now. Sometimes, it’s nearly even stranger when they’re not there. They might just leave it off for a free or two and you’re saying, ‘Jesus, why isn’t the fella standing there?’ You’d be so used to fellas standing or shouting at you or ‘where is he kicking from?’. It’s nearly just part of it now."
10 July 2022; Seán O'Shea of Kerry kicks his side's winning point, from a free, during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The Kenmare man made the kick in the 77th minute with the scores tied at 1-13 each.
"It was hard to know because at that stage of the game, the legs were probably tired as well and there was a lot of energy gone out," said O'Shea when asked if he was confident about the kick.
"I was just saying to myself, ‘Put it down, last kick, focus on the strike’. The body is obviously full of adrenaline at the time as well so that can do a lot of funny things for you. Paudie Clifford was beside me when I got the ball and he just said, ‘Look, have a go, don’t force it. Trust that the kick will get there.’ And he was dead right, like.
"If you try and force that, if you try and put extra into it, you could end up drilling it along the ground. I just went with what I knew, tried to get a nice contact on it and thankfully it travelled then.
"I could see as the game was developing that a lot of shots were being pulled left that day. I’d say the conversion rate in the Canal End was way higher than the Hill that day. I knew it was a tricky one and to be honest I just gave it plenty outside (the right post). It wasn’t a particular yardage or anything, throw it out plenty and leave it swing back in.
"I knew I hit it well. I actually thought I hit it too well at the start. I didn’t think it was going to come but then it started coming back in and the wind caught it then. It came in nicely alright.
"It was great. Delight. But I was afraid there would be one more play and they would get a chance to come down and level it so thankfully the whistle blow and it was great."
24 July 2022; Seán O'Shea of Kerry before the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Kerry and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
O'Shea added that freetaking is mostly about the "feel" of the situation.
"You obviously have your routine and that’s something you’ve done thousands of times now," he said.
"You don’t even think about it, it’s just there. I don’t really visualise or anything like that behind the goal as such.
"You obviously have your target and when you’re aiming but a lot of it is about feel for me. Every kick is different because of angles and wind and it can change during games, blowing stronger.
"A lot of it would about feel for me, just how the body is going and how you think the ball is going to travel in general. I wouldn’t have a specific target behind the ball. I’d just kind of judge it by my feel and how I think it’s going to play out."
See Also: Family Seeing O'Mahony In 'Broken State' Led To Kerry Star Getting Treatment
