The battle for dominance in the middle of the park will be
one of the most intriguing clashes on Sunday. Barry Moran has been on the
periphery of the Mayo panel since 2005, but his inter-county career has been
plagued with injuries. This year, he has finally been able to establish himself
in the team and get a consistent run of games, and he has rewarded James Horan
with some stellar performances. Aidan O’Shea has long been identified as one for
the future since his hugely impressive performance in the 2008 All-Ireland
minor final. However, it took him a while to become accustomed to the demands
of senior football. His arrival as a substitute in the Connacht final proved to
be the catalyst for their victory, and he was particularly impressive in the
semi-final, where his industry and hunger for work caused lots of problem for
Dublin.
Neil Gallagher gave one of the best midfield performances
ever for Donegal in the semi-final victory over Cork. He dominated the aerial
exchanges, making several wonderful high catches. He has been in great form
this year, and he will hope to provide Donegal with a stranglehold in the
middle of the field. Rory Kavanagh has also had an impressive year, and he has
formed a strong partnership with Gallagher. They had no problems with the Cork
midfield, who were regarded as the best in the country, so they certainly won’t
fear the Mayo midfield. The partnership who can win the most possession in this
sector, will give their team a great chance of winning the final.
Karl Lacey v Alan
Dillon.
In the aftermath of Mayo’s victory over Dublin, Monaghan
midfielder Dick Clerkin suggested that this match-up may not just decide the
destination of the Sam Maguire cup, but also the winner of this year’s
Footballer of the Year. Both players have been on the top of their game
throughout the Championship, and it appears likely that they will pair up
against each other on September 23.
Dillon has been one of the top players in the country over
the last decade, but an All-Ireland medal has eluded him so far. He played in
the 2004 and 2006 finals, but Mayo and Dillon crashed and burned in both those
finals, so he will be hoping it will be third time lucky this year. He has been
man of the match in their last two games against Down and Dublin, and he is
very much the conductor of the Mayo forward line. He is also renowned for his
ability to kick long range points, and this will be crucial to Mayo’s game plan.
Lacey had an excellent game in the semi-final against Cork,
where he added two points to a superb defensive display. His shoulder on Pearse
O’Neill, a man almost twice his size, showed how strong he is, and no one gets
past the Four Masters man easily. He will need to be at his best again in the
final if he is to curb the influence of Dillon. Lacey will know that if he can
prevent Dillon from having a big impact, he will have played a huge role in
helping Donegal beat the men from the West.
The Free-takers.
The role of the free-takers on Sunday’s final cannot be
understated. Last year’s decider was won by a late free from Stephen Cluxton,
while the man of the match in the 2010 All-Ireland final was Daniel Goulding of
Cork, who kicked seven points from placed balls. Both sides will be depending
on their free-takers to keep their nerve in the most pressurised situations of
their career.
Mayo’s Cillian O’Connor showed that he could handle the
pressure in the semi-final against Dublin. Mayo got off to a bad start, but he
landed two ‘45’s into a sea of blue in Hill 16. If he hadn’t landed those crucial scores, Mayo may have
struggled to settle into the game. O’Connor is only twenty years old, but he
showed maturity in last year’s Connacht final with a master class of free
taking, despite blustery conditions. Donegal will be wary of O’Connor’s ability
and will try and limit the amount of opportunities he gets.
Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden have been very reliable
with their frees this year. The only blemish on Murphy’s record was against
Kerry, when he dragged some of his placed balls wide. McFadden is joint top
scorer in the Championship this year with 3-28, with fourteen of those points
coming from frees and one ‘45’. Both players will be hoping to get some easy
frees at the start of the match to ease their way into the contest.
Donegal’s
Full-Forward line v Mayo’s Full back line.
In the semi-final, Mayo’s Full-back line performed superbly
against Dublin’s much feared forward line. Ger Cafferky won his duel with Bernard
Brogan, Kevin Keane had an influential game, and Keith Higgins gave a typically
ferocious corner back display, culminating in him clearing the ball off the
line in the dying seconds.
Colm Mcfadden has received the most plaudits of the Donegal
forwards this year, but Murphy and Paddy McBrearty have assisted him greatly.
They may not have had the same kind of scoring tally, but their selfless
running and work-rate, has been a key factor in Donegal’s success. Murphy is
one of the best ball winning full forwards in the country, but Donegal will
need to get better service into him in the final. Likewise, McBrearty was
causing havoc to Noel O’Leary in the first half against Cork, but he was not
utilised enough.
This area will prove crucial on Sunday. Mayo will be
desperate to stop Donegal scoring goals, and they will be hoping that they will
get plenty of protection from their half-back line. In the league game in
March, McFadden scored seven points and Murphy got five points, while Cafferky
was sent off. The Mayo full-back line has improved significantly since then,
but they will need to have their best performance of the year to stop the
Donegal forwards.
The Sideline.
The battle on the sideline will be just as fascinating as
the battle on the field. Jim McGuinness and James Horan are the two most highly
regarded young managers in the country and they will put their rising
reputations on the line against each other on Sunday. Both their managerial
tenures have followed similar paths. They both took over their teams when they
were at a low ebb, led them to provincial titles in their first year, and have
followed this up by taking them to the All-Ireland final in their second year.
McGuinness’ decision to introduce David Walsh against Cork
proved to be one of the turning points in the match, and he has been praised
for making effective substitutions this season. He has won the tactical battle
in each of the games he has played, leaving managers of the calibre of Mickey
Harte and Jack O’Connor in his wake. McGuinness was criticised for not changing
his tactics as the game drifted away from Donegal in last year’s semi-final,
and it would be interesting to see how he would respond if he found himself in
that position again.
James Horan’s tactical moves helped Mayo win the Connacht
title and he also masterminded a historic victory last year over the reigning
All-Ireland champions Cork. He also impressed against Dublin when they started to
claw back into mayo’s lead in the semi-final and he made good substitutions
which helped to kill their momentum.
Horan showed he was not afraid to make tough decisions and
this was seen when he left out Mayo’s record point scorer, Conor Mortimor for
the Championship. Likewise, McGuinness made a big decision to drop All-Star
Kevin Cassidy. Both managers will have to be prepared to make more big
decisions in the final if they are to guide their team to Sam.
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