Former All-Ireland winner backs Mayo to beat Kerry in final

Multiple time All-Ireland winner Diarmuid Connolly believes Mayo will be crowned National League champions this weekend as they prepare to face off against Kerry at Croke Park.

James Horan’s side are underdogs for Sunday’s showdown, but Connolly believes keeping David Clifford quiet will be high on their to-do list in search of victory.

“We haven’t seen Mayo’s full hand yet,” Connolly told BoyleSports. "Cillian O’Connor hasn’t played many minutes, nor has Aidan O’Shea and Paddy Durcan has been in and out. They are solidifying the midfield and I think that’ll be a huge battleground on Sunday.

"The kickouts will be pivotal – can they keep possession from their own kickout and can they disrupt the Kerry kickout which has been impressive all season?

“Kerry’s midfield partnership of Diarmuid O’Connor and Jack Barry is cemented now and the midfield will be a huge match-up. But a big issue for Mayo is who will pick up David Clifford. Who can keep this man quiet? He has been a standout player across all the leagues, he’s been unbelievable. He’s nearly unmarkable at Croke Park given the space, but if I was James Horan, I’d be putting Paddy Durcan on him.

“He’s not your out-and-out man-marker, but he has the physicality, the pace, and the size to compete with Clifford in the air and on the ground. I don’t think Padraig O’Hora or Oisín Mullan have the same ability to do that, so that’ll be a key match-up.

“I don’t think Kerry are completely sure either on who will start at corner back and that’s where Mayo can get a lot of joy if they get the ball in there nice and early. There will be rewards for them from one-on-ones in that full-back line.

“I tipped Mayo at the start of the year and I’m sticking to my guns, I think they’ll come out on top here. I was actually impressed with them when they went down to Tralee and they were unlucky not to come away with a result. But that didn’t matter to me, the performance really stood out.”