Aidan O'Shea or Michael Murphy? It's no contest as far as Tomás Ó Se is concerned.

Writing in his weekly Irish Independent column, the former Kerry great reckons it's about time that his namesake delivered on the big stage for Mayo.

To back up his argument, he cites the influence that Murphy invariably exerts on proceedings whenever he takes to the field in the Donegal jersey.

"He's a marquee player but if I had a choice between him and Michael Murphy, I wouldn't have to think about it too long. Murphy, for me, was probably the player of the National League. He's phenomenal. He makes a difference every day. To my mind, he gives Donegal what it's probably high time Aidan O'Shea gave Mayo.

"Right now, I just don't have O'Shea down in the same league. I can't. I think a lot of Mayo supporters feel he still has it all to prove. The big players are the ones who do it on the big days.

"Like I could count on one hand the bad games Seamus Moynihan played for Kerry. Murphy's the same with Donegal. He walks the walk. There's a competitive honesty to him that's probably fairly rare.

"If it sounds like I'm being hard on O'Shea, it's only because I believe he can be THE man for Mayo. It's probably a small enough thing that could get Mayo over the line and, given his potential, even a five per cent improvement from O'Shea might be enough. But that improvement has to come with consistency."

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