The Sunday Game pundit and All-Ireland winner Joe Brolly is predicting a "very fascinating final in prospect" when Donegal meet Mayo in Sunday's Final.
The Derry man believes Connacht champions Mayo will go to any lengths in their bid to disrupt their opponents, but is predicting a hard-fought success for Jim McGuinness’ side.
Donegal are the 8/15 favourites with
Ladbrokes for Sunday’s game at Croke Park, with Mayo priced at 2/1 and the draw a 15/2 chance. Following their shock win over Dublin in the last four, Brolly feels Mayo employed a tactic of ‘cynical fouling’ against last year’s All-Ireland winners, and he feels they will once again deploy this method in stopping Donegal breaking from back to front.
“I had not noticed it during the Dublin game. I was conscious that they were pulling down the Dublin players as they were trying to mount attacks, but when I watched the video again the statistics were, even by modern standards, shocking,” Brolly said of Mayo’s semi-final victory.
“There were 27 times where a Dublin player was trying to work his way forward and he was simply held or pulled down. There was not a single yellow card, and it was a massive feature of the game that Mayo were able to disrupt Dublin in that way.”
Many will feel Brolly’s comments could bring about pressure on Maurice Deegan to stamp out any perceived tactical fouls in Sunday’s game.
James Horan’s side are 10/11 with
Ladbrokes to receive the first booking on Sunday, while they are 5/4 to accumulate more yellow cards than Donegal.
Brolly believes the fitness levels and conditioning of both sides will ensure no quarter is given or asked come Sunday afternoon.
“I don’t think there’s a chance of a Mayo collapse. They are now organised along very modern lines,” he added.
“Jim McGuinness’ team are like a group of rugby internationals in the way their fitness is tended to and their system of play has been developed to suit them, and the same now applies to Mayo.
“They no longer go into games on a wing and a prayer, and they certainly cast off the ‘nice boys’ image during the Dublin match. I think there is a very fascinating final in prospect.”
With such a physical battle in store, it is 11/4 that referee Deegan will brandish a single red card on Sunday, while two or more players to see red is priced at 11/2 with
Ladbrokes.
Mayo are 9/2 to lead at half time and lose the final, and Brolly feels that Donegal’s composure will eventually win through against a Mayo side who visibly weakened late in the game against Dublin.
“Mayo dictated the terms against Dublin. They won’t dictate the terms against Donegal. I think it will be very close and very fascinating. Donegal’s absolute composure and their defensive system and the fact they are very clinical with their chances will shade it,” the articulate pundit concluded.
