DURING A RECENT trip to Chicago, Alan Dillon informed his travelling Mayo team-mates of his intention to retire.
An ever-present in the Mayo panel since making his debut in 2003, the 35-year-old has called time on one of the great careers in the Green and Red. A two-time All-Star and eight-time Connacht medalist, he was one of Mayo’s deadliest forwards for over a decade and a player Aidan O’Shea admired growing up.
“I’d be close to Alan,” says O’Shea. “I work with him and he lives down the road from me as well. I’ve gotten very close to Alan over the last nine or ten years.
“I was in Chicago with him a couple of weeks ago and he would have informed me then that he’d be making his decision. He let the group know this morning before the press release.
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“It’s sad to see him go because he’s obviously a really, really good footballer. I looked up to him as a young fella, got to play with him and now obviously a very good friend of his.”
His minutes waned over the past couple of seasons, but one of Dillon’s last great acts came in the 2016 All-Ireland quarter-final against Tyrone.
During that campaign the Red Hand’s Justin McMahon liked to drop off from centre-back to protect his full-back, but Stephen Rochford made the surprise move to pitch in Dillon at 11 for the last eight showdown.
Dillon buzzed around Croke Park, getting on ball after ball to brutally expose Tyrone’s game plan. After 22 minutes, McMahon was called ashore. Tom Parsons was introduced for Dillon as a pre-planned half-time substitute and underdogs Mayo went on to seal the victory.
They say the last thing a boxer loses is his punch, while in Dillon’s case his game intelligence never left him.
“Classy player, one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with and a great passer of a ball, he always spotted things,” says O’Shea.
“A big loss to us, obviously gutted for him that we didn’t get over the line while he was a part of the squad and it’s just sad to see him go.”
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Aidan O’Shea & Paul Flynn get the ‘Gift of a Lift’ this Christmas as they launch Coca-Cola’s 2017 Designated Driver campaign. Andres Poveda
Andres Poveda
Coca-Cola is proud to support Irish road safety by rewarding Designated Drivers who give the Gift of a Lift with two FREE drinks from Coca-Cola. See www.designateddriver.ie.
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'I looked up to him as a young fella, got to play with him and now obviously a very good friend of his'
DURING A RECENT trip to Chicago, Alan Dillon informed his travelling Mayo team-mates of his intention to retire.
An ever-present in the Mayo panel since making his debut in 2003, the 35-year-old has called time on one of the great careers in the Green and Red. A two-time All-Star and eight-time Connacht medalist, he was one of Mayo’s deadliest forwards for over a decade and a player Aidan O’Shea admired growing up.
“I’d be close to Alan,” says O’Shea. “I work with him and he lives down the road from me as well. I’ve gotten very close to Alan over the last nine or ten years.
“I was in Chicago with him a couple of weeks ago and he would have informed me then that he’d be making his decision. He let the group know this morning before the press release.
“It’s sad to see him go because he’s obviously a really, really good footballer. I looked up to him as a young fella, got to play with him and now obviously a very good friend of his.”
His minutes waned over the past couple of seasons, but one of Dillon’s last great acts came in the 2016 All-Ireland quarter-final against Tyrone.
During that campaign the Red Hand’s Justin McMahon liked to drop off from centre-back to protect his full-back, but Stephen Rochford made the surprise move to pitch in Dillon at 11 for the last eight showdown.
Dillon buzzed around Croke Park, getting on ball after ball to brutally expose Tyrone’s game plan. After 22 minutes, McMahon was called ashore. Tom Parsons was introduced for Dillon as a pre-planned half-time substitute and underdogs Mayo went on to seal the victory.
They say the last thing a boxer loses is his punch, while in Dillon’s case his game intelligence never left him.
“Classy player, one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with and a great passer of a ball, he always spotted things,” says O’Shea.
“A big loss to us, obviously gutted for him that we didn’t get over the line while he was a part of the squad and it’s just sad to see him go.”
******
Coca-Cola is proud to support Irish road safety by rewarding Designated Drivers who give the Gift of a Lift with two FREE drinks from Coca-Cola. See www.designateddriver.ie.
Eight-time Connacht champion Alan Dillon calls time on his Mayo career
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Aidan O'Shea aland dillon GAA Legend Mayo