Mayo v Roscommon: Having liberated Connacht from the stranglehold in which Galway had held provincial affairs, Mayo face the trickier task of finishing the job in front of an expectant local crowd. It is the kind of situation that seems tailor-made for Roscommon to exploit.
In the fortnight that has passed, there has been time for Mayo to review their victory over Galway in a colder and slightly uneasy light. There remains a nagging uncertainty over the state of the Galway team that showed up that afternoon. Mayo fans might study today's showdown in Croke Park to gauge the true health of their neighbours. There is also the fact the nature of the Galway game allows opponents to play the open brand of football Mayo thrive on.
Creeping into this final after a desultory, flat semi-final win over Leitrim that rightly drew some stinging criticism from Tom Carr, Roscommon enter the game as outsiders with a point to prove. That will suit them. They are a slow-burning team. On last year's form, they should improve with each outing and have the benefit of reaching the quarter-finals last season after games in which they showed the flair and courage to make it through some tight situations. That experience was vital in their extra-time tussle against Sligo this summer.
The placing of David Casey at left-half back makes for a formidable partnership with Francie Grehan in a defensive unit that is settled and grafts well.
They have a match winner in Frankie Dolan but Roscommon will also be looking for positive scoring returns from Gary Cox and Jonathan Dunning along the right wing.
Although John Maughan started Ciarán McDonald in deep against Galway, it seems inevitable he should face a counter-cultural movement in Grehan, a player who is the opposite of the Crossmolina star but is equally important to his team.
McDonald's re-entry to Mayo football was a glowing success but this is a key game and he will have to perform in the company of a robust marker who never quits.
Roscommon have the advantage in bulk at midfield but the partnership of David Brady and Ronan McGarritty is promising for Mayo, with James Gill free to help in the middle sector as well as breaking forward.
Conor Mortimer can take it for granted he will be afforded nothing like the space he enjoyed against Galway and he is likely to be double-teamed and harried every time he comes into possession. The Mayo forward line is appealing but light and this game demands Trevor Mortimer and McDonald are strong enough to dictate matters in what will be a tough sector of the field.
A potential problem for Mayo is that they have not, so far, suggested a great capacity for goal getting. Roscommon, in contrast, are the kind of team, as they demonstrated through Gerry Lohan in this fixture three years ago, that can create goals at crucial times. Neither side should hold much of an advantage in terms of free kicks, with both Dolan and Conor Mortimer good, accurate kickers. And each should have plenty of opportunity here.
The characterisation of this game as a clash between fancy artists and their blue-collar neighbours is fair on neither team: Mayo are solid and functional in defence while Roscommon have some nice ball players of their own.
This game can make or break the season for either county and so is unlikely to be high on artistic merit.
It is an edgy enough proposition for Mayo, but then, so was facing Galway and they recovered from an appalling start to boss the game by the close. That experience and their budding class should give them a sound enough footing to win their first provincial title in five years.
MAYO: F Ruddy; C Moran, D Heaney, G Ruane; G Mullins, J Nallen, F Costello; D Brady, R McGarrity; J Gill, K McDonald, A Dillon; C Mortimer, T Mortimer, B Maloney.
ROSCOMMON: S Curran; J Whyte, M Ryan, J Nolan; D Casey, F Grehan, A McPadden; S O'Neill, S Lohan; G Cox, J Hanly, J Tiernan; J Dunning, K Mannion, F Dolan.
