LAST UPDATE | 12 Aug 2021
1. Who marks Dublin’s big three?
A LARGE PART of Mayo’s tactical preparations this week will have focused on stopping Dublin’s big three of Ciaran Kilkenny, Con O’Callaghan and Brian Fenton. If Mayo can even keep two of that trio quiet, they’ve got a real chance of ending Dublin’s long reign as champions.
Of course, it’s far easier said than done. Fenton and O’Callaghan had a quiet Leinster final by their immense standards and great players rarely produce under-par performances in back-to-back games.
Match-ups will be key in the Mayo defence for James Horan. It’s widely assumed that, if he’s fit to start, Oisin Mullin will pick up O’Callaghan like he did in last year’s All-Ireland final.
Given Kilkenny’s habit of playing closer to goal under Dessie Farrell, Lee Keegan will probably get the nod to track the Castleknock man once again. Keegan has had joy before Kilkenny. In the 2017 semi-final, Kilkenny had 62 possessions and just eight in the final when he was picked up by Keegan, who also broke forward for a goal.
Paddy Durcan is another option if either danger man spend time on the half-forward line, although Mayo will be keen not to blunt his attacking instincts.
The issue for Mayo is even if Kilkenny and O’Callaghan are locked down, Dublin still have a handful of other forwards that can shoot the lights out. Dean Rock, Cormac Costello and Paddy Small are all well capable of having a big day in front of the posts.
Diarmuid O’Connor will most likely tag Fenton, giving Mattie Ruane license to bomb forward alongside him in midfield.
2. Dublin’s lack of firepower on the bench
A lack of scoring threat off the bench is not something we’re accustomed to seeing from Dublin. In last December’s final, Brian Howard, Paul Mannion, Colm Basquel and Cormac Costello were the attacking substitutes introduced by Farrell.
Howard is featuring on the half-back line this year, Mannion has left the panel and Costello has nailed down a starting place up front. Basquel is Dublin’s best scoring threat from the bench and he was unlucky to have a goal ruled out against Kildare, yet it’s obvious Dublin’s options in reserve are far more limited compared to previous years.
Dublin subs scored just a point in their last two games, a far cry from the halcyon days of the 2017 final defeat of Mayo. Paul Flynn, Diarmuid Connolly, Bernard Brogan, Kevin McManamon, Niall Scully and Costello were the reinforcements called upon by Jim Gavin that afternoon.
Kieran Kingston’s decision to drop his son Shane for Cork’s hurling semi-final against Kilkenny last weekend proved a masterstroke after he clipped seven points in a man-of-the-match cameo.
Farrell might decided to hold back Costello or Small to give them a scoring punch in the final quarter. In that instance, he may throw Sean Bugler in from the start, or push Brian Howard up to the half-forward line. Kevin McManamon has returned from his Olympic commitments in Tokyo, yet his match fitness must be a concern after a lengthy spell away from collective training.
3. Will Mayo start McLoughlin and McLaughlin?
A major factor in Mayo’s turnaround after half-time in the Connacht final was the introduction of Eoghan McLaughlin and Kevin McLoughlin. McLaughlin’s driving runs opened up the Galway defence, while McLoughlin’s ability to pick locks and deliver quality ball into the full-forward line was pivotal.
Horan is facing a dilemma this week: Does he pitch one or both players in from the start to strengthen the team, or hold them in reserve and hope the game is still in the melting pot in the second-half?
McLaughlin is the most likely candidate to start. He has the power and energy to last the full 70 minutes. His fitness levels might be required to follow Niall Scully, the human energiser bunny that makes this Dublin team tick.
However, if Aidan O’Shea is used at full-forward (more on that below), then it would be wise to use McLoughlin’s passing ability at 11.
4. Dublin’s defensive match-ups
Presuming Eoin Murchan makes his first start of the championship, his pace will be required in the full-back line where Dublin have speedsters Ryan O’Donoghue and Tommy Conroy to deal with.
His introduction could see Jonny Cooper stationed on the half-back line and Howard pushing up to midfield or half-forward.
In last year’s All-Ireland final, Byrne marked O’Shea, Fitzsimons tracked Cillian O’Connor and Murchan was posted on Conroy. Cooper played at centre-back and followed Ryan O’Donoghue.
If Mayo go with a Conroy-O’Shea-O’Donoghue full-forward line, then Murchan is likely to take O’Donoghue with Byrne on Conroy. That leaves Fitzsimons on O’Shea.
However, the use of Byrne marking Daniel Flynn in the Leinster final suggests his manager might have been priming him to mark O’Shea. In that scenario, Fitzsimons would go onto Conroy. The Cuala veteran is an excellent man-marker, but Conroy’s searing acceleration could be an issue for him.
It will be interesting to see what Farrell decides on the match-ups. Another option is to use Murchan’s pace on the half-back line, with Cooper dropping back. But the Dublin manager will be wary of putting two defenders in their 30s up against such a lightning fast full-forward line.
If Mayo use O’Shea as a third midfielder, as they did for the first period against Galway, two of Murchan, Byrne and Fitzsimons will man-mark inside, with a third defender sweeping. It’s one of the many fascinating sub-plots heading into this showdown.
5. The use of Aidan O’Shea
As detailed above, the use of O’Shea at full-forward will ask questions of the Dublin rearguard. He spend the first 35 minutes of the Connacht final as a loose midfielder and failed to cause many problems going forward, while tracking runners through the middle is not his strong point.
Horan moved him into the edge of the square at half-time and immediately it paid dividends. McLoughlin delivered a glorious pass to O’Shea, who found the run of Ruane. It resulted in a penalty, converted by O’Donoghue, and Mayo’s comeback was on.
O’Shea’s aerial ability, quick hands and unselfishness makes him a perfect foil for Conroy and O’Donoghue, who feed off him really well. In the absence of Cillian O’Connor, O’Shea’s tackling ability also prevents Dublin from working the ball out easily.
He’s not going to spend all his time in there, but a route for Mayo to win game is by O’Shea creating goals at 14.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
