Austin O'Malley believes Diarmuid O'Connor could be the key player in helping Mayo curb the influence of Dublin's Brian Fenton in the All-Ireland SFC final on Saturday.
Speaking on RTÉ's Game On alongside ex-Dublin star Barry Cahill ahead of the Croke Park decider, the former Mayo forward gave his take on the match-ups that could give his county a chance of stopping the Dubs' six-in-a-row bid.
And Fenton is one key figure Mayo must find a way of stopping according to O'Malley.
"A guy that Mayo have who could potentially front up and try and bring a world of hurt to his door for an hour would be Diarmuid O'Connor," he said, adding that more compactness in the middle area of the pitch would help stem Mayo's defensive frailties.
"I think he would be ideally placed in terms of he has the physical prowess, running power and football intellect to go toe to toe with this guy, even though it might take away a little bit from Mayo going forward.
"But I just feel that when you look up at all the attributes that Fenton has, that that could be a really good pairing up, and traditionally Mayo haven't gone after the Dublin system. They've generally gone after the key players or the key agents within that and if we're to get anything the next day, we'll have to go after that again and you've got to go out and try and 'kill the kings' and do that from the off.
"And I think Mayo have done that in the past and have got their match-ups right, so it will be a case of that again."
Meanwhile, Cahill feels that one area Dublin could be vulnerable is a lack of height in defence if Mayo field Aidan O'Shea at full-forward.
However, he feels Fenton's presence offers a counter-balance in midfield.
"If you look at Brian Fenton in midfield, there aren't many Mayo players or players in the country who are able to match Brian Fenton around the middle of the pitch and they'd probably like to have Aidan out there around the middle at some point to try and nullify his effect," he said.
Cahill also added that Mayo would prosper more if Lee Keegan was moved forward from the full-back line.
"I think Lee Keegan is a key player for tomorrow evening. If I was Mayo, I wouldn't be playing him in the full-back line. I think he's wasted in there," he said, pointing out Keegan's ability to throw off the shackles from an attacking standpoint.
Listen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch the All-Ireland senior football final between Dublin and Mayo live on RTÉ2 from 3.40pm Saturday, listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 or follow our live blog on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News app. Highlights on The Saturday Game (9.55 pm RTÉ2).
Follow All-Ireland senior football final between Dublin and Cork with our live blog on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News app (from 3pm Sunday) or listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1. Highlights on The Sunday Game (9.30 pm RTÉ2).
