GAELIC GAMES: What's the difference? Two years ago when these counties also met in the Bank of Ireland All-Ireland football final, not only were Mayo well trimmed but their fate had looked well on the cards from the moment the final pairing emerged.

They had peaked for the terrific win over champions Tyrone but were on an obvious downswing in the semi-final matches against Fermanagh, whereas Kerry were picking up momentum. The collision was always going to favour Jack O'Connor's team.

This time, like Armagh four years ago - a highly praised win over Dublin under the belts but still going into the final as long-odds outsiders against a less-than-invincible Kerry - Mayo have their own momentum.

Other differences? Mickey Moran and John Morrison may be something of an odd couple in football terms. Their picaresque journey around the football landscape of the northwest has never seen them so close to the ultimate achievement, but their management has brought important things to the table.

As a coaching combination they are innovative and protective of their players, but most importantly, as outsiders they came to the county with a clean slate.

John Maughan accomplished a great deal when repositioning Mayo as championship contenders over the past 10 years or so, but tangles with clubs and players constantly beset his efforts.

This season there is a sense for the first time in a long time that Mayo actually have their strongest panel of players available and are marching to the same tune. Moran and Morrison have managed to get everyone on board.

The hype might not have needed too much handling given the county's experiences since 1996, but the lid has been so effectively kept on the county that one Mayo man felt the journey from Roscommon to Castlebar gave the impression that Mayo were in the minor final and Roscommon in the senior rather than vice versa.

Differences? Look at the selection. Half of the team has changed since 2004. Even on paper there's no reason to evaluate this weekend's final as a rematch.

The mood of the counties contrasts with that of two years ago. Then Kerry were on a roll, unbeaten since losing a regulation NFL match to Tyrone.

This season Jack O'Connor had to tear up the blueprint and start again.

The changes may have worked well but the team's weaknesses have been on fatal display as recently as two months ago.

During the week there was the unusual spectacle of a slight controversy in the county with the dropping of Eoin Brosnan to make way for team captain Declan O'Sullivan.

It's hard to criticise O'Connor for that. O'Sullivan may be a clubmate but he has played well coming in as a replacement in recent matches and also in training. Furthermore he was always going to feature tomorrow and consequently be the one to lift the Sam Maguire should Kerry win.

The obvious solution would be to allow management to pick their captains rather than be dependent on whoever wins the county championship. But as recently as last year, county convention hammered such a proposal.

Anyway Brosnan hasn't been having one of his better seasons, and the desire - in Killarney at any rate - to see him reprise his centrefield role in the final of two years ago was a threat to the ecosystem that has seen Tommy Griffin - the presumed fall guy for such a move - provide a solid foil for what many believe is Darragh Ó Sé's best season in the middle.

Sentiment in Mayo is that the absence of Brosnan will place less-strenuous demands on Pat Harte's defensive game, but it may also deprive him of four or five balls during the match as well as inhibiting his own attacking instincts.

There is danger in both forward units, but most focus is on Kieran Donaghy's revival of the conventional full-forward role and Ciarán McDonald's orchestration of everything Mayo do from the half backs up.

The latter has been the subject of a traditional All-Ireland injury-scare story (for Mayo people a bit more than scary). Best information suggests he'll play without hindrance - apart from that provided by the physically aggressive and largely interchangeable Kerry defence.

Donaghy's bubble may burst but there's no persuasive evidence that it's likely to happen tomorrow.

David Heaney is athletic and accomplished but Dara Ó Cinnéide gave him trouble in the air in 2004 despite being three inches shorter; Donaghy is four inches taller than his marker. Even if he's restricted, the ability to bring in his corners Colm Cooper and Michael Russell will pose a huge threat.

In order to starve the Kerry full forwards Mayo are going to have to exert implausible domination at centrefield.

Kevin O'Neill and Conor Mortimer were extremely impressive against Dublin and the replacements' roll-out worked extremely well, but Kerry won't be as defensively chaotic as the Leinster champions; their steel has been tempered in some pretty hot furnaces these past two seasons.

Mayo's two big championship wins to date were reversals of league results: the semi-final defeat by Galway and the big knock-back against Dublin in March.

Ironically the season now comes down to being able to replicate the narrow advantage gained in Tralee at the start of the NFL.

To put it in context, had Dublin scraped through instead from last month's semi-final you'd have fancied Kerry by five or six points.

Sadly for Mayo, although the championship balance between the counties has shifted since 2004, it hasn't yet reached tipping point.John O'Mahony: Mayo's plots and plans still need luckpage 2