This is going to be a monstrous clash.
The two best teams in Ireland, the two biggest rivals in Ireland with the most fanatic fans in Ireland. The two counties lined with the most household names and one 70-minute game to separate them.
Mayo and Dublin lock horns at 3.30pm on Sunday and the island will come to a standstill to see if the capital’s machine will keep on rolling or if the westerners can end 65 years of hurt.
Jim Gavin and Stephen Rochford have named their starting teams and here are three ways the players could match up as the final unfolds.
OPTION #1
Kevin McLoughlin drops back into the sweeper role he’s been occupying and Cian O’Sullivan is freed up once more to hold the 45′.
Lee Keegan picks up Connolly – obviously – and Jonny Cooper tries to cut out the supply line by keeping tabs on Mayo’s most economical receptor in Andy Moran.
Tom Parsons and Seamus O’Shea can match Fenton and MacAuley physically but both O’Connors in the Mayo forward line might fancy their chances against Byrne and against James McCarthy who is still hearing injury doubts circulate around him.
OPTION #2
Depending on who Jim Gavin is most worried about, Jonny Cooper can pick up either Cillian O’Connor or Andy Moran.
Option #2 involves Ciaran Kilkenny dropping back into midfield to pick up all those possessions that statisticians are creaming themselves over.
Mayo might be happy to let him waltz around there racking up his handpassing tally if it means they could free up Donal Vauaghan too. Vaughan could sit alongside McLoughlin in defence, get forward together, and either of them could pick up the deep runs of Kilkenny.
McMahon is still following Aidan O’Shea – that’s going to be a hell of a battle.
OPTION #3
Option #3 involves Mayo making a late change and Barry Moran comes back in in place of Tom Parsons – who has been so effective off the bench.
Donal Vaughan goes back to midfield, McLoughlin pushes further up and probably becomes an orthodox forward for most of the game to give Kilkenny or O’Sullivan something to think about. Moran sits in front of his full backs like he did against Tipperary.
This would give the Connacht men another option from kickouts and it means the big man could even venture into full forward at times and force Cian O’Sullivan to pick up a man.
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