He won a Champions League, but could he have hurled county for nearly two decades?
That's the question voters in a waterfordlive.ie poll are asking themselves this week.
After almost a month of voting, 16 contenders and three rounds of voting, two of Waterford's greatest sporting heroes have emerged as the finalists for a Waterford All-Time Greats series.
Waterford Live formed a 16-person list of contenders for the crown of Waterford's greatest ever person, spanning the realms of sport, politics and the arts, back in January. It included John Mullane, cyclist Sean Kelly, playwright Teresa Deevy, mentalist Keith Barry, as well as funnyman and impressionist Mario Rosenstock.
The Waterford public has been voting on a series of matches from a round of 16 all the way to this final pairing.
Former Irish international and Manchester United Champions League and multiple Premier League winner John O'Shea was the first man through after toppling longtime favourite John Mullane in the semis.
The Waterford hurling icon and RTÉ commentator drew support from right across the county and country, but O'Shea showed the resolve he often exhibited at the heart of United's defence to advance.
It was, however, a close run thing as the former Ireland captain won out with 53% of the vote to John Mullane's 47%.
Facing off with O'Shea for the crown of Waterford's All-Time Great is evergreen hurling star Michael 'Brick' Walsh, a Déise stickman for the ages.
He has defined a generation of Waterford hurlers throughout the early 2000s and to 2019 when he commenced his 17th season in the white and blue.
Brick overcame nationalist icon Thomas Francis Meagher in the semi-finals with an overwhelming 83% of the vote, cementing his place as the county's most beloved hurler.
From Walsh Park to Croker, Brick has struck fear into the hearts of defenders for the better part of two decades, picking up three Munster titles, two national league titles and four All-Star awards along the way.
So, the cross-sport battle is on between the soccer juggernaut that is John O'Shea and the Déise darling Brick Walsh. Who are you voting for?
