Mortimer confident more physical Mayo will prevail

Conor Mortimer is convinced Mayo will carry no baggage from last year’s All-Ireland final into Sunday’s clash with Dublin.

The forward, who quit the panel last year, was on the 2004 and ’06 teams that were comprehensively beaten by Kerry but reckons the defeat by Donegal last year can’t be compared to either of those performances.

“A lot of our players, the innocence they have is that don’t have any baggage on their shoulders. They lost last year but you couldn’t say they performed like we did in ’04 and ’06. We didn’t perform at all”.

Although Mortimer feels Cillian O’Connor has to start for Mayo to stand their best chance of bridging the gap to their last Sam Maguire capture in 1951 (he expects he will be in the team too), he is confident about their chances. He knows they have more muscle in the middle. “I think Mayo have a stronger midfield; they’re far more physical than Dublin.

“If the two teams play to their potential, I don’t see why Mayo wouldn’t win it. The one thing that Dublin have I suppose is that they have had tougher games coming into the final than we have had.

“I think their bench, the players are adding something when they come in. Even if they are 10 points up, the likes of Rock and McManamon are looking for scores. They don’t rest easy, but I just think it’s Mayo’s year.”

Mortimer’s Parnells club-mate Stephen Cluxton will be at the heart of Mayo’s counter-plans, the 31-year-old believes.

“Aidan and Seamie (O’Shea) would be able to win high ball all day, but short kick-outs... no more than Mayo’s forwards, Dublin’s forwards are going to have to get up on Dublin’s short kick-outs as well. So many of Mayo’s attacks come from the half-back line. The last day against Tyrone it was Chris Barrett the corner-back that brought them back into the game when they were struggling.”

Speaking at the launch of the FBD Kilmacud Crokes All-Ireland Sevens in Croke Park yesterday, Mortimer knows from living in Dublin the build-up isn’t anything as significant as it is in Mayo.

“I was driving home yesterday and it was the first time I saw more than a flag flying — I think that was in Templeogue. The hype isn’t anywhere near what it’s like in Mayo. Normally when Dublin get to the final everyone is talking about it, but not even in work there’s not a lot of talk about it.”