WHEN CONOR LANE throws in the ball to begin next Sunday’s All-Ireland senior football final between Dublin and Mayo, eyes will glance all over the field to pick out who’s marking who.
There are many different possibilities that could unfold but managers Jim Gavin and Stephen Rochford will have given plenty of thought to their respective match-ups.
Mayo have struggled with getting their man-on-man duels right in the past and Rochford knows that there’s no margin for error this time against the champions.
Here, we’ve pinpointed 7 potential man-on-man tussles to keep an eye out for…
1. Lee Keegan (Mayo) v Diarmuid Connolly (Dublin)
There’s plenty of history between this pair and more fireworks lie in store if they trot into each other’s path.
Keegan and Connolly were involved in the semi-final flashpoint that saw the Dublin player red-carded last year. Connolly was freed on appeal for the replay and the Dubs edged over the line.
2. Brian Fenton (Dublin) v Seamus O’Shea (Mayo)
Fenton is a force of nature for Dublin at midfield and Mayo need to get their match-up right here.
Seamus O’Shea is arguably their most mobile midfielder and while there’s surely a temptation to drop his brother Aidan back to track Fenton, Seamus is the man who’ll probably go toe-to-toe with last year’s All-Ireland final man-of-the-match.
3. Jonny Cooper (Dublin) v Andy Moran (Mayo)
Moran was exceptional in Mayo’s semi-final victory over Tipperary but he’s coming up against one of the country’s in-form defenders.
Barring a final collapse, Cooper looks nailed on for an All-Star and if he can stop Moran exerting a big influence on Sunday, he’ll claim the individual accolade and possibly put himself in the frame for the Footballer of the Year award. Moran, however, is one of the best in the business at getting out in front of his man and collecting possession.
Expect plenty of ball going in the direction of the veteran forward.
4. Philly McMahon (Dublin) v Aidan O’Shea (Mayo)
Another pair with history look set to collide at some point in proceedings. McMahon’s mobility and versatility would see him tailor-made for a man-marking role on one of Mayo’s biggest threats.
O’Shea can play in a variety of positions but so too can McMahon. And as we saw when the sides clashed last year, McMahon’s foraging runs forward caused Mayo all sorts of problems. Allowing McMahon free to patrol O’Shea would leave the Mayo man in a position where he’ll have to concern himself with defensive, as well as attacking, responsibilities.
5. Keith Higgins (Mayo) v Ciaran Kilkenny (Dublin)
Higgins is Mayo’s man for all seasons and was superb against Tipperary in the All-Ireland semi-final. Mayo boss Stephen Rochford will surely have noticed how well Kerry’s Paul Murphy did in a man-marking role on Dublin play-maker Ciaran Kilkenny and may well deploy Higgins to do a similar job.
Kilkenny has been pulling the strings in Dublin’s attack this summer but was kept relatively quiet by Kerry. Still, Dublin have so many attacking options that even if three of their six forwards were kept quiet, the other three can cause serious damage and there are also reinforcements to call upon from the bench.
6. Brendan Harrison (Mayo) v Bernard Brogan (Dublin)
Harrison made his senior debut in 2014 and has settled in nicely at right corner back on the Mayo team. A player who goes about his business with minimum fuss, Harrison continues to grow in stature but now faces the acid test on All-Ireland final day.
Brogan was man-of-the-match in the 2013 final between the counties, scoring two poacher’s goals on the day. He’s a man for the big occasion and will look to expose any potential defensive naivety from Mayo.
7. David Byrne (Dublin) v Cillian O’Connor (Mayo)
While Mayo will hope that Brendan Harrison can win his patch against Bernard Brogan, Dublin will similarly bank on young David Byrne getting the better of Mayo’s scorer-in-chief Cillian O’Connor. With Rory O’Carroll departed from Dublin’s full-back line, Byrne has taken the chance to slot in and capture a corner back position, with Jonny Cooper moving to the central position.
Byrne (22) is already the holder of two All-Ireland SFC medals and while the former U21 medallist might be relatively lacking in years, he can still boast plenty of experience. O’Connor is a wily forward, however, and after leading the championship scoring charts for the last three seasons, he’s second behind Dean Rock in 2016.
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