"Now is the time for Mayo, never was there a better opportunity"

With courage, dogged defending and their indomitable spirit, 'Mayo – All-Ireland champions 2021' is a real possibility

MARTIN CARNEY'S BIG-MATCH VERDICT

HANDS up then those who predicted Tyrone. I thought so; none of you.

If you’d have told me 10 days ago that Tyrone would face Mayo in the 2021 All-Ireland final, I also would have given you a wry smile at best.

But here we are, a novel pairing and a welcome relief from the so-called predictable conclusion that everyone anticipated.

Yet anyone who thinks that because it’s Tyrone everything will be easier needs to get a reality check.

One thing you can be sure of is that as Ulster champions, Tyrone will proudly and fiercely fight their corner in the final with the view to capturing Sam for the fourth time. And a battle it will be.

Let’s take a look for a moment at Tyrone. From what I’ve seen they are an extremely well organised, fit, flinty and adaptable team, one capable of adjusting to the circumstances of the day. A really competitive Ulster campaign saw them beat Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan.

Facing Cavan, the reigning Ulster champions, they built an impressive first-half lead before running out eight-point winners.

Against Donegal, who had Michael Murphy sent off, a solid performance yielded 23 points.

Matters were more complicated in a Croke Park-hosted Ulster final, where the minimum margin separated them from Monaghan.

A common thread in every game was the sum of the parts exceeded individual effort.

Nothing really remarkable about them, or so Kerry thought, with just a single goal scored and one conceded in Ulster.

To many they appeared a team resolute and defiant at the back while workmanlike up front.

Here Darren McCurry shoulders a disproportionate part of the scoring burden, while 16 others got on the scoresheet at one time or the other during the championship.

By the semi-final date the ambush was ready and in a game blemished with passages of untidy football, Tyrone gave one of their most obdurate ever performances in putting Kerry to the sword.

Herculean from start to finish, they neutered, with the exception of David Clifford, Kerry’s strengths by clever defensive play and effective man marking and by applying themselves with a ferocity that, surprisingly, rocked Kerry.

With Tyrone displaying greater hunger and superior fitness levels, Kerry got sucked into a dog fight for which they lacked the required bite.

What Tyrone did then they will attempt to replicate on Saturday. Expect Conor Myler and Michael O’Neill to drop back and sweep in front of the D.

Banking on ferocious tackling to win turnover ball, they will swarm forward in numbers from everywhere and anywhere.

Nominal full-backs McKernan, McNamee and Hampsey all got on the scoreboard against the Kingdom, while the impressive Kieran McGeary enhanced his status with a breath-taking display from centre half-back.

Peter Harte is a master at timing and executing effective counter attacks, while the efficiency of Conor McKenna and impact of substitutes Darragh Canavan and Cathal McShane are significant.

How Mayo intend to cope with, manage and counter these strengths will go some way to determining the outcome.

To begin with they will target Niall Morgan. Building from the back is a favoured Tyrone ploy so disrupting his short restart is important.

In this department Mayo will attempt to force Morgan long into the middle zone, where the westerners are well equipped to dominate.

Here, Aidan O’Shea, Conor Loftus, Diarmuid O’Connor and Mattie Ruane have power, presence, athleticism and football skills to control this area, and in Patrick Durcan, Oisin Mullin and Enda Hession they have attackers with pace and intelligence.

I’d anticipate Mayo carrying less ball forward that we saw in the semi-final. Running into cul-de-sacs a la Kerry would be disastrous. In their semi-final, Tyrone won 35 turnovers which translated into two goal and eight points of their winning total.

I presume a cocktail of patient approach play to draw the sweepers out of place, good outside shooting with occasional quick direct ball forward in order to stretch the Tyrone defence will top the agenda.

In normal time against Galway and Dublin, totals of 14 and 13 scores respectively was scant reward for hard work. Exceeding these totals is important.

How they go about it – breaking, bypassing and drawing out of position the human log jam that Tyrone manage in front of their own goal – will require patience.

In relation to the forwards, Tommy Conroy and Ryan O’Donoghue can expect little room.

Clever movement is a prerequisite here and if supply has quality and support is constant (getting isolated is fatal against Tyrone), this line is more than capable of amassing a healthy total.

One pleasing feature this season has been the positive impact from the bench.

Kevin McLoughlin and Eoghan McLaughlin helped reboot matters when summoned against Galway. Likewise, Enda Hession, in particular, breathed life into a team looking for direction and inspiration in the semi- final.

Just as Canavan and McShane revitalised Tyrone in the semi-final, expect James Horan to have a trick or two ready with his substitutes.

A listless start, similar to the last two games, would prove fatal against Tyrone, who I imagine have studied the Donegal success manual from the 2012 final.

Then their neighbours had two goals and one point without reply on the board before Mayo realised they had come to compete.

Ideally Tyrone they would like to replicate this and I sense they will play with great forward intensity early on.

If they get an early lead, that will create the ideal situation to play the game on their terms.

Mayo are more than capable of succeeding on Saturday.

Having the correct frame of mind, to begin with, is vital.

Being physically and mentally prepared for a scrap is essential. Patience, discipline and varying attacking strategies will help.

Tyrone teams have always possessed that mid-Ulster cussedness that makes them formidable, and this one is no different.

Yet Mayo, talent-wise and in terms of fitness, are more than a match.

Mayo have reason to believe. The team possesses a work ethic and selflessness that are hallmarks of the successful.

By way of experience they enjoy an advantage and in terms of performances their best is yet to come.

Now is the time; never was there a better opportunity.

The extra few weeks' preparation has helped and given some of the injured a fighting chance of returning.

With courage, dogged defending and their indomitable spirit, 'Mayo – All-Ireland champions 2021' is a real possibility.