Needless to say, there’s not a lot of weaknesses in this current Dublin side.
Jim Gavin’s team will try to win a fourth consecutive All-Ireland when they play Tyrone in Sunday’s final and the Dubs are currently six point favourites heading into the game.
The Jacks butchered Tyrone in last year’s semi-final and secured a three-point win when the two sides met at Healy Park in Omagh last month but former All Star forward and Paddy Power GAA ambassador and columnist with Paddy Power News Owen Mulligan believes that their backline can be exposed.
“I think a high ball into the defence can be a weakness,” said Mulligan.
“I’m a big fan of Johnny Cooper, big, big fan of him and he takes it to the line. I felt last year that Tyrone were shaking the Dublin players’ hands but Johnny Cooper was shaking their hands and bear hugging them. That’s how he was marking our forwards.
“He takes it to the line every time. They might not like it but that’s the way it is. I just think a high ball on top of him and on top of Stephen Cluxton can work.
“I’ve seen the Cluxton flop a couple of times and I think that’s a way you can get at them. You talk about a masterplan – Richie Donnelly is full forward and he’s a big unit and he’s had joy from high balls – but I think test them and test them early.
“Put the high ball in. What do you have to lose? Alright everyone likes a nice wee ball to the chest but put a high ball in to test them because I think they’ve been found out a couple of times.
“I thought Damien Comer for Galway had great joy with it but they abandoned their gameplan and stopped feeding him the ball.”
Mulligan also believes that Tyrone have to try and emulate the Mayo and Kerry teams from recent years and attempt to play Dublin man-to-man and that they can’t rely on the blanket defence like they did in last year’s semi-final.
“They have to play that way from the start,” said Mulligan.
“Tyrone played the blanket last year in Croke Park and went a couple of points down and they’re still playing that blanket defence. They were shellshocked. They didn’t have a plan b.
“When you’re playing catch up against Dublin you’re on the road to nowhere if you’re playing a blanket defence. You have no other gameplan in your head.
“You’re chasing that game and you have to come out and play. Tyrone had some joy in the last 15 minutes at Healy Park in Omagh because they pushed up. They pushed right up on them and it gave us a bit of belief.
“I know Dublin took off big players that day but Tyrone had some serious joy when they pushed up and got in their faces. Cluxton couldn’t get a kick out.
“Cluxton and Rory Beggan are probably the best in the country at kickouts and Morgan is the same, he knows how to hit the ball out, but if you push up and give them no options you can get at them. You have to push up and play them at their own game.”
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