by Jackie Cahill
Former manager John Maughan is confident of a Mayo victory in Sunday's All-Ireland senior football final - insisting that the Westerners can "spook" the champions in the Croke Park showpiece.
And Maughan insists that a display similar to either of those that ran Dublin so close at the semi-final stage last year will be good enough to claim the Holy Grail.
But Maughan, who guided Mayo to final appearances in 1996, 1997 and 2004, believes that midfield is an area for concern as the county targets a first Sam Maguire Cup win since 1951.
Maughan believes that Dublin high-fielder Brian Fenton is in line for a possible Footballer of the Year award while he insists that sidekick Michael Darragh MacAuley "is not as good as he was", he remains a key operator for the team chasing back-to-back crowns.
Maughan reflected: "Defensively, we'll be solid enough and we'll get our match-ups right there.
"Diarmuid Connolly is arguably one of the best footballers in the country, if not the best, but Lee Keegan has shown that he can nullify him.
"Patrick Durcan, assuming he picks him up, can do a job on Ciaran Kilkenny and our full-back line will be ok, not withstanding the fact that Dean Rock is playing superbly well for Dublin from play and has an incredible strike rate from placed balls.
"In the middle of the field, we'll need a very athletic performance and it's critical that we get it right there.
"If we push up on Stephen Cluxton's kick-outs and force him to go long, if we don't win enough primary possession there, Dublin can punish you in seconds on the counter-attack.
"That's where we have to be aggressively competitive, and we've got to match their athletic ability around the park. Brian Fenton is in the running for player of the year and could get it with a good final. MacAuley, albeit not as good as he was in the last couple of years, never stops moving and is still perpetual motion."
Maughan, however, is more optimistic about Mayo's chances than he was leaving Croke Park after watching Dublin beat Kerry.
He recalls: "Dublin finished so strongly and I saw them unleashing their resources from the bench, and they had an impact.
"I came away just a little bit concerned but as we get closer to the date, I'm becoming more confident, as are many of my friends and footballing colleagues.
"We're going in with great confidence and I'd say Dublin would rather play anyone else in a final. We spook them a little.
"We have a full, clean bill of health and that's very encouraging.
"For the first time in quite a long time, management are able to call on all resources. A lot of our lads didn't play in the National League for a combination of reasons - Cillian O'Connor, Tom Parsons, Chris Barrett - missing a huge chunk of the League but there should be a freshness in quite a number.
"I don't think Dublin are as formidable as heretofore and if Mayo can produce a performance like last year…either of those two (semi-final) performances would be good enough to beat Dublin in this year's final."
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