John O'Mahony suggests how Mayo can beat Kerry

1 Hold sway in midfield.

Even with the absence of Darragh Ó Sé from the 2004 final, Mayo's challenge was unhinged around the middle by the dominance of Willie Kirby and Eoin Brosnan. Kirby is gone and Brosnan is on the bench but the Ó Sé and Tommy Griffin pairing is a more dynamic combination anyway.

Mayo have also evolved considerably in this department. Ronan McGarrity's lack of experience was exposed in the final. Since then he has become an outstanding leader. He will be keen to atone for two years ago, while his Ballina club-mate Pat Harte has become one of the finds of the championship.

Ó Sé is at the peak of his powers but if McGarrity can break even here, Harte can edge his dual with Griffin. If not, there is always the David Brady option. Mayo must counteract the supply line to Kieran Donaghy at source.

2 Stymie the influence of Kieran Donaghy.

Mayo will place a huge emphasis on stopping Donaghy; mainly because of the freedom he can provide Mike Frank Russell and Gooch Cooper. David Heaney is the man for this task. He was exceptional against Dublin. If Donaghy gathers too much ball, Mayo will need a plan B. The radical option would be to bring McGarrity back but introducing Andy Moran to wing back, as happened to great effect against Dublin, and employing another defender in front of Donaghy is an option.

3 Expose the frailties of the Kerry defence.

Longford caused damage when running at Kerry. Armagh's Ronan Clarke and Steven McDonnell exposed a looseness, Eamonn Fitzmaurice had a desperate evening trying to stop Ger Brady during the league tie last February. It has been addressed with Seamus Moynihan excellent at close quarters since half-time against Armagh but Kerry are not the airtight unit of 2004. Mayo have the firepower to cause Tom O'Sullivan and Mike McCarthy headaches. Alan Dillon is in great form on the wing, Conor Mortimer has grown immeasurably, Ger Brady has come of age and Ciarán McDonald has been popping up closer to goal.

4 Tactical switches.

If the match is close coming into the final 20 minutes, the result will be sorted out by changes on the line. The introduction of Brady and O'Neill, when Dublin were running riot at the start of the second half, stemmed the tide. Moran unleashed Andy Moran and Aiden Kilcoyne between the 44th and 46th minute. The timing that proved crucial.

O'Neill is a better option off the bench but the management may feel it is crucial to start him and reintroduce him for the last 15 minutes. Brady got enough game time against Dublin to survive an hour if, say, Kerry are dominating the early breaking ball.

O'Neill creates a buzz when he warms up. That's gone but the Mayo supporters will have a similar reaction to the sight of Brady or Aiden Kilcoyne. Andy Moran will also be expected to make an impact akin to his Dublin goal-scoring cameo.

5 Luck!

Three or four unexpected events unfold during the game but Mayo need at least half of these breaks to go their way.