Dublin won’t change to counter Aidan O’Shea threat

Jim Gavin has intimated that Dublin will not draw up special plans to deal with the threat of Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea around their penalty area in Sunday’s second All-Ireland football semi-final at Croke Park.

O’Shea has arguably been the story of the summer, with his wrecking ball performances on the edge of the opposition square affording the Connacht champions considerably greater firepower.

The Breaffy player hit 4-5 in the games against Galway, Sligo and Donegal, but his input has gone far beyond his own scoring exploits.

He won numerous frees against Galway and was involved setting up scores against Donegal. Gavin was effusive with his praise, pointing in particular to his fielding skills, his agility and his nose for goal.

And yet it seems Rory O’Carroll will now have to do what Finian Hanley, Neil McGee and a roll call of different Sligo defenders couldn’t manage, as his manager has suggested that there will be no doubling up of O’Shea.

“We’d have confidence in our backs,” said Gavin. “We play a particular brand of football and we wouldn’t stray too far from that philosophy. We base our core principles on attacking football and a very traditional style.”

It was at this stage last year when Dublin’s strict adherence to those attacking principles proved their undoing, a failure to address a gaping hole at the centre of their half-back line allowing Donegal to steam through their rearguard at will.

Gavin doesn’t see things so black and white and is adamant the Leinster champions will pitch up armed with “various strategies, very subtle changes that people mightn’t see” even if the general framework is something that remains constant.

Gavin though has been hugely impressed by Mayo. Their defeat of Donegal in the last eight married positivity and pragmatism with extra players funnelled back deep to protect the defence and, though Gavin is always prone to gushing praise of others, it is hard to knock his assessment of the westerners.

“They looked very potent in attack (against Donegal). A lot of the attention at the moment is on Aidan O’Shea and rightly so, he’s the form player in Ireland at the moment. But he’s surrounded by some fantastic players: Cillian O’Connor and Diarmuid O’Connor, Jason Doherty is having a fine season as well, (Kevin) McLoughlin and Keith Higgins. They’re still very potent going forward and their structure in midfield now with (Tom) Parsons and Seamie O’Shea and Barry Moran who played a more defensive role. So they look as impressive as ever.”

The sides are well acquainted at this stage, not just from their annual jousts in Division One of the Allianz League, but from their meeting at this stage of the championship in 2012, when Mayo prevailed by three points and the decider the next year which Dublin won by a point.

Gavin has suggested that the momentum lies with Mayo after that impressive dismantling of Rory Gallagher’s Donegal the last day and it remains to be seen if Fermanagh’s late rally in their own quarter-final proves to be enough of a testing ground after a breezy summer jaunt.

“Every day they put on the Dublin jersey there is a certain expectation and they are going into a test always,” said Gavin.

“Every team we play, we give the utmost respect. Fermanagh came out and fronted up and played attacking football and really went at it.

“There was no diving, no cynical play from them and that was a big test for us, especially in the last 10 when they kept at it that they punished us for a couple of lapses of concentration.”

O’Shea and Mayo would dearly love a repeat of those.