If Mayo are awarded a free to beat Dublin this afternoon, or more to the point later this summer, who should take it?
Should it be the All-Ireland championship's all-time top scorer, who from 2011 to 2020 was arguably the most consistent freetaker in the game?
Or the man who so brilliantly filled the void in his absence, and who this championship has a 100% conversion rate from frees?
The win over Roscommon the weekend before last was Cillian O'Connor's first time to start back-to-back games for Mayo in almost two years. And for the first time in Kevin McStay's reign, the two-time All-Star is fit enough to be planned around.
Which raises the question: should he take over from Ryan O'Donoghue on the frees, even if he's coming on as a replacement rather than starting? O'Donoghue has been in terrific form for Mayo this year, and consistently excellent since breaking into the team in 2020. He has become the go-to man up top, and an over-relied upon one at that.
With O'Connor missing so much of the past three years through injury he has stepped up and established himself as a top quality free-taker too. So far in the 2024 Championship he has scored 1-21 from 21 frees and a penalty, remarkably converting every single opportunity he's been presented with.
O'Donoghue has taken on the mantle of Mayo marquee forward
McStay wouldn't even be considering who takes the frees, except O'Connor is one of the all-time great Mayo players and one of the most reliable freetakers of his generation
O'Connor has now started back-to-back matches for the first time in 25 Mayo games stretching back to the 2022 All-Ireland quarter-final, and aside from that championship campaign his last consecutive starts came just over three years ago.
Mayo have had to start without him for 35 of the 43 league and championship games since his Achilles tendon rupture during the 2021 league semi-final against Clare.
Nevertheless, over that three-year period, he has still scored 4-44. With 2-32 coming in his eight starts, 1-10 of which was from play, and 2-12 was off the bench including 0-10 from play or marks across 15 appearances as a substitute.
This year, despite his limited involvement – he's started just three of 12 games – O'Connor is Mayo's second top scorer with 3-12 (0-09 from play) across league and championship. And he is their second top scoring forward from play in the 2024 championship with 0-07. Stats which highlight how sharp and clinical O'Connor has been despite his lack of minutes and momentum, but furthermore the low scoring impact of Mayo's forward unit as a whole.
Aside from O'Donoghue's 1-15, which is 25% of Mayo's total from play, the Mayo forwards have scored 1-23 from play so far this championship. The midfielders and backs have accounted for 1-24. Across league and championship six of Mayo's top 10 scorers from play have not been forwards, including two of their top five with Matthew Ruane fourth on 1-09.
Mayo need more scoring impact from their forward line to keep in touch with the likes of Dublin as the game progresses, and to lift the pressure off O'Donoghue.
In his two starts this championship, O'Connor has hit the ground running with 0-05 from play as well as assisting with 0-03. He had 27 possessions against Cavan and before coming off after 53 minutes against Roscommon – shortly after kicking a rare point for Mayo from beyond the 45m line – he had 19 possessions.
The two-time Young Footballer of the Year provides so much leadership and experience in general play, but along with his scoring he is also a brilliant tackler. And in each game secured a turnover/interception in the full-forward line. A key aspect of Mayo's play over the past 10 years, thanks in no small part to him.
Of his eight shots across the two matches, six were from outside the scoring zone, which for a team who so typically struggle to create straightforward scoring chances, having a forward who can make his own by shooting from distance is a valuable addition.
This goes for frees too. While O'Donoghue has been 22 from 22, none of his frees have been any further out than 35m (his extra quick run-up also buys him an extra few yards and a kinder angle). The Belmullet man kicks a lot of the frees from the right side as well as the left, but aside from him O'Connor scored a penalty against New York, Aidan O'Shea has kicked a free from out by the right wing and goalkeeper Colm Reape has missed a free from distance.
Otherwise, all frees from distance have been taken short, which is another area where O'Connor's regular return to the rotation provides a solution.
Mayo's five outfield players who remain from the 2016 All-Ireland final one-point replay defeat to Dublin have yet to start a game together under McStay. Injuries and retirements have forced the Mayo manager to develop new leaders, and with Paddy Durcan out for the remainder of the season that stat will remain.
However having O'Connor, O'Shea, Diarmuid O'Connor and Stephen Coen all in from the start for the first time would provide a major boost to Mayo's All-Ireland ambitions.
When Tyrone's Peter Canavan entered the field in 2005, regardless of the great job Owen Mulligan and Stephen O'Neill had been doing, he took the pressure frees. If Dean Rock hadn't retired and found himself starting a game for Dublin or coming on, would he be automatically handed the frees over Cormac Costello or Con O'Callaghan?
O'Connor's return increases Mayo's free-taking range, lifts the scoring pressure off O'Donoghue, and increases the press on defenders coming out. As well as adding to Mayo's depth and therefore their finishing power.
But when it comes to free-taking – the top scorer ever against a perfect record so far is a great dilemma to have. Yet one which could be decisive.
Watch an All-Ireland Football Championship double-header, Armagh v Galway (1.45pm) and Dublin v Mayo (3.45pm) on Sunday on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
