So much of the talk surrounding this All-Ireland meeting of Galway and Kerry has involved the tactical prowess of the corresponding sidelines.

With two astute managers and an equal range of options from which to choose, the player adjustments before and during Saturday's final are likely to bear a significant weight on the outcome.

Restoring Kevin Walsh to his starting place at midfield is just one of the tactical moves that many believe has the potential to cast some momentum in Galway's favour.

Back in 1965 - the last occasion when these two sides met in the football decider - a similar move in the area had that exact effect.

It was the first time since 1941 that two counties had contested the All-Ireland in successive years. Galway eventually defended their title, 0-12 to 0-9, and although the game was largely marred by destructive football and indiscriminate jersey-pulling, the performance of Pat Donnellan at midfield provided no shortage of comment in the aftermath.

The Galway mentors had originally decided that Donnellan would join Mick Reynolds at midfield.

But Reynolds had to cry off just hours before the throw-in after suffering a serious dose of tonsillitis. Mick Garrett was given the call to partner Donnellan.

According to newspaper reports the following day, Galway made a "match-winning move" in altering Donnellan's midfield responsibilities.

At the start, Donnellan was marking Denis O'Sullivan, with Garrett taking hold of Kerry great Mick O'Connell.

As the game wore on, however, it was clear that O'Connell was inspiring Kerry's resurgence and Galway were losing their tenuous advantage.

Jerdie O'Connor had switched with O'Sullivan - who was clearly outplayed by Donnellan - and Kerry were now unrivalled at midfield.

Unrivalled, that is, until Donnellan moved over to O'Connell. As Peter Byrne wrote in The Irish Times the following day, the effect was immediate.

"Donnellan, standing hip-to-hip with O'Connell, harried the Valencia man out of the game. Garrett did likewise with O'Connor and, moments later, the champions were once more the masters."

Looking back on that day, Donnellan recalls a battle that could have gone either way, but he is reluctant to claim the spotlight for the eventual victory. He just did his job like everybody else.

"It was certainly a war of attrition," he says. "Mick Garrett was a tremendous footballer, but maybe a little bit past his best by then.

"Anyway, it was decided that I would play on O'Sullivan because, at 5ft 8in, he was around the same height as me. And Garrett would play on O'Connell.

"After a while it was clear that Garrett was finding it tough on O'Connell, who was more or less winning all the ball. So it was decided that I would switch over and play on him.

"Now I'm definitely not saying that this alone swung the game, but if I wasn't getting the ball then Mick O'Connell wasn't getting it either.

"He was the best midfielder in the country and a superb athlete, but I had a job to do. Of course, he was a lot taller than me, but height doesn't mean everything."

According to Byrne's report, Galway appeared to be in real trouble before O'Connell was adequately shackled.

"A 50-yard free by Donnellan stretched the winner's advantage (0-8 to 0-4) a minute after the interval, but then came Kerry's best spell and three points from frees by Bernie O'Callaghan left only a point between them in the 36th minute."

But that also signalled the key decision on the sideline.

"It was at that stage, however, that the Galway mentors made their match-winning move in switching Donnellan and, with the challengers beginning to falter under the Westerners' renewed efforts, (Cryil) Dunne, (Seamus) Leydon and Donnellan tacked on the points which virtually decided the destination of the trophy."

Also of interest from that 1965 final was the sending-off of Donnellan's cousin John - the father of current Galway standout Michael - who was redcarded 10 minutes from time along with Kerry's Derry O'Shea following a flare-up near the Galway posts.

Later still, O'Shea's brother Jimmy, who had come on as a replacement for Joe Joe Barrett, was also given his marching orders making it one of the less memorable afternoon's for the O'Shea household.

As for Saturday's replay, Donnellan believes that midfield will once again become the decisive battleground.

"But it's certainly not the position it was in my day. It's very rare now that you'll see a small fellow at midfield, whereas back then, height didn't mean a whole lot."

GALWAY: J Geraghty; E Colleran, N Tierney, JB McDermott; J Donnellan, S Meade, M Newell; P Donnellan (0-2), M Garrett (0-1); C Dunne (0-4), M McDonagh, S Leydon (0-3); C Tyrell, S Cleary, J Keenan (0-2). Sub: M Reynolds for Keenan.

KERRY: J Culloty; D O'Sullivan, N Sheehy, M Morris; S Murphy, P O'Donoghue, J D O'Connor; D O'Sullivan, M O'Connell (0-2); V Lucey, P Griffin, D O'Shea; B O'Callaghan (0-6), M O'Dwyer (0-1), JJ Barrett. Subs: D Geaney for Lucey, J O'Shea for Barrett.

Referee: M Loftus (Mayo).