Joe Brolly believes that Mayo need to adopt a more combative approach to dealing with the intimidating aerial threat posed by Kieran Donaghy on the edge of the square in Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final.
At the same stage of the championship three years ago, Donaghy, who'd been sitting on the bench all year and was in mortal danger of becoming the forgotten man of the Kerry forward line, was tossed into the fray with ten minutes remaining against Mayo.
Kerry, trailing by five points, promptly discarded the patient approach and proceeded to bomb high balls in on top of their ace card.
His imposing paws helped rustle up 1-02 in the final minutes to secure a Kerry an unlikely replay.
The following week, Donaghy was a snarling influence as Kerry beat Mayo after extra-time on an emotionally charged evening in Limerick.
Brolly argues that Mayo have never dealt properly with 'the Donaghy card', citing the approach of Philly McMahon and the Dublin full-back line as the ideal strategy for muzzling the Kerry full-forward.
"They've got to go to war with Donaghy on the edge of the square," Brolly told RTÉ Radio One's Saturday Sport.
"As Danny Quinn, my old Derry team-mate used to say, the most first important thing about winning a high ball in the air is to use your ass five seconds before it comes to you.
"Mayo have been far too passive on the square against Donaghy.
"We all remember the 2015 final against the Dubs. And every time Kerry kicked the ball long to Donaghy, Rory O'Carroll actually faced up to him, jumped into his face, Philly McMahon was at him from behind. He was being bumped and bored while the ball was in the air.
"That's the way you've got to deal with him. That's the way Kerry deal with a similar threat. That's the way Kerry dealt with Michael Murphy in the All-Ireland final in 2014.
"So, Mayo have been far too passive. But I'm hopeful with Brendan Harrison being in there that they're going to take a more aggressive approach.
"We saw in the Galway match that once the ball is in the air and you're not already going to war with Donaghy, he's going to outmanoeuvre you every time. Because he's the best I've ever seen at winning a ball in the air coming into the edge of the square."
"This is precisely the kind of game that Mayo could win."
Provided Mayo don't allow Donaghy to rule the edge of the square, Brolly believes it could be set up for Mayo on Sunday.
"There's not that much between them. Kerry's half-forward line is unconvincing.
"The big issue is that Kerry will play with conviction. Fitzmaurice's Kerry don't do shocks. They've only been beaten by Dublin and no one else in Fitzmaurice's time. But this is precisely the kind of game that Mayo could win.
"It's very finely tuned. There's something about the way it's all sitting up there that tells you that Mayo could win it.
"But who knows, like. Predictions are redundant in a game like this. It's likely that the Roscommon replay - even though Roscommon are a poor team - was transformative for Mayo and it's brought them back to the place where they need to be psychologically.
"Because they were so bad all year, you wouldn't have given tuppence for them. And yet Kerry, since the League final, haven't been particularly convincing."
All-Ireland SFC semi-final between Kerry and Mayo (3.30pm) is live on RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Radio 1, with a live blog on RTE Sport Online and the News Now App from 1.00pm. Live radio commentary on Sunday Sport.
Saturday's All-Ireland senior camogie semi-finals - Dublin v Kilkenny (5.15pm) and Cork v Galway (7pm) - is live on RTÉ2 with a live blog to include updates on the All-Ireland U21 hurling semi-finals - Kilkenny v Derry (4pm) and Galway v Limerick (6pm) on RTE Sport Online and the News Now App from 4.00pm.
Highlights of all the weekend's GAA action on The Sunday Game at 9.30pm on RTÉ2
