Jack O'Shea hails generational talent as Brian Fenton makes exit

Legendary Kerry midfielder Jack O'Shea hailed Brian Fenton as a generational player as the two-time Footballer of the Year departs from the inter-county scene.

Fenton, who was dropped from the Dublin minor squad in 2011, went onto to become the most acclaimed midfielder of his era and was frequently compared to O'Shea, the latter winning seven All-Irelands with Mick O'Dwyer's Kerry and the Texaco Footballer of the Year on four occasions between 1980 and 1985.

Speaking on Game On on RTÉ2fm, O'Shea recalled how he first heard about Fenton in a random encounter with his old sparring partner, the late Brian Mullins.

"I remember meeting my big Dublin opposite number Brian Mullins back in 2014," he said. "It was out in Belfield and he was saying there's a young fella coming, and he says to me 'he reminds me a lot of you... this fella is going to be good, watch out for him.'

"And that person was Brian Fenton. Brian (Mullins) was a great judge of footballers and he could see his potential.

"He's a player I've admired for years," O'Shea added.

"He's a fabulous player and a fabulous person. His Dad is a fabulous man, he was a fantastic Kerry supporter when we were playing. The bit of Kerryness in him doesn't do him any harm either.

"He was a phenomenal player, I've probably seen about 97 or 98% of his matches in Croke Park.

"You couldn't but admire the excellence of his play, his movement, his involvement in the game, his behaviour. Everything that is good about Gaelic football, Brian Fenton had it.

"He never wasted a ball really. He was pivotal to everything Dublin did. When they got into trouble, he was the one who dug them out of trouble.

"When it came to tight matches, he was the one that stood up. When the need is greatest, your cream