Saturday October 1

All Ireland SFC Final replay

Dublin v Mayo, Croke Park, 5pm

By Cian O'Connell

For intensity and drama the drawn match was gripping - will the replay be similarly edgy? All the signs suggest that another compelling contest is imminent.

All the usual pre second instalment questions have been hotly debated for the past fortnight. What selection changes, if any, will occur? Who has the greater scope for improvement? Will Dublin click up front? How high will the turnover count be? What match-ups need to be replicated?

Ultimately the September 18 encounter was a tale of Mayo’s refusal to wilt. In a bizarre game Mayo, who had frustrated Dublin for long stretches, still required a last gasp flurry.

The Green and Red survived, though, which means they return to Croke Park heartened. Any talk regarding ‘a missed opportunity’ has been firmly quashed out west – that certainly wasn’t the view from the Mayo camp.

Even as two freak own goals spilled over the line Mayo had the resolve and resilience, trailing by five at the interval they got back on terms. Then a Dublin burst put Jim Gavin’s charges three ahead, but Mayo came swinging again.

Cillian O’Connor’s leveller was a splendid sporting moment: an act of pure leadership under extreme duress when everything was simply on the line.

Now Dublin and Mayo must collide on Saturday to determine where Sam Maguire will reside for the winter.

Brian Fenton’s centrefield enterprise remains critical for Dublin, while Lee Keegan’s duel with Diarmuid Connolly continues to be a hot topic.

Mayo were emboldened by the temperament youngsters Brendan Harrison, Paddy Durcan, and Diarmuid O’Connor demonstrated.

Widely praised for their gritty approach, especially about how a much vaunted Dublin attack was tamed, Mayo still feel there is room for improvement.

Manager Stephen Rochford doesn’t buy into the theory that Mayo need to bring something different to the next instalment. "Probably not,” Rochford responded. “I think what we'll need to do better is more what our focus will be. You know the thing that pleased me most was our level of consistency throughout the game.

“As in, we worked hard throughout the 70-plus minutes; we challenged well; we brought a level of intensity and discipline to the game. 

"But there's a lot more that I'm not happy about. In relation to the concession of the two goals, people talk about them being freakish and that, but actually Dublin were in there with the ball, had created an opportunity.

“Maybe on a dryer day there wouldn't have been the need for a Mayo man to stick the ball in the back of the net, it might have been in there from a Dublin foot.  

"So they're the things we'll be focusing on and looking to cut out. Turnovers - I wouldn't be happy with our use of possession a number of times.

“And, you know, our own creativity – we got one, maybe two, goal chances and we need to be able to execute them better if we expect to win. It's probably more that focus rather than trying to draw up some new plan." 

Jim Gavin shared similar sentiments offering a frank assessment on Dublin’s display. “I found that my perception of the game straight afterwards was exactly what I saw when I looked at the tape in terms of not meeting our standards,” Gavin commented on Thursday morning.

“We’ve always gone after trying to play our particular game as best we can. That’s what we always focus on. So in terms of pass execution, shot selection, shot execution on the day – it wasn’t up to what the players set for themselves.

“There’s a number of contributory factors, but at the end of it all, they just didn’t perform and that’s what they need to address the next day. And if they don’t, we’re playing a great team and we won’t get the result.”

Throughout the Championship following the Galway setback, Mayo have been pragmatic registering triumphs over Fermanagh, Kildare, Westmeath, Tyrone, and Tipperary.

The All Ireland draw offered a dollop of confidence especially how Mayo coped with a potent Dublin forward line according to Keith Higgins.

“Yeah, I thought defensively we played well enough,” Higgins acknowledged. “Obviously the goal chances they created would have to be an issue for us I thought a few lads really showed up the last day, I thought we played well.

“Probably some chances Dublin didn’t take that they’d be upset with, but I think teams will think they didn’t perform overly well and have another shot at it now. We’ll definitely be looking at how we can improve.”

Being clinical converting scoring chances is what Mayo will be striving to do, but Gavin has Dublin primed for a battle.

A year ago at the Semi-Final stage Dublin eventually shrugged off Mayo’s spirited resistance, but it took the guts of 140 minutes to determine a winner.

It is likely to go the distance once more so Saturday evening’s clash at the brimful Jones Road venue should be both riveting and revealing.