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The GAA neutral world will be hoping this Tipperary fairytale season continues with another win against the odds in this game. 2016 has been the year of team sport underdogs why not one more? Football GAA championship has been crying out for a underdog story like this for years.

I don't buy into routing for the underdog. Mayo should have earned the respect of every GAA fan in the country by now with their relentless pursuit of Sam over the years and their determination to keep returning year after year putting in some immense performances along the way without the ultimate reward. They have shipped some heavy defeats in finals and lost some epic matches after replays which would have killed off most teams. Tipp have done well but i think Mayo are much more deserving of another crack at Sam and will most likely provide us with a more competitive final.

Yeah, I've never really understood why this particular Mayo team (the bunch of the last 5/6 years) seem to get so little credit from some. They seem to face constant criticism about their character and "bottle", but in truth they're one of the most unbelievably resilient teams in recent memory. They have been knocked back time and again and keep coming back for more. The hunger remains. Even if they never win an All-Ireland, I believe history will be kind to this team and many of the individuals that have operated in their ranks. They have been at the centre of some of the best championship matches of the last few years and the competition would really be quite dull without them. I hope they beat Tipp in the semi-final. To hell with the underdog fairytale. Mayo's story is as compelling as any GAA story out there and in truth they would be much better opposition to either against either Kerry or Dublin in a final. If they do finally win an All-Ireland, it will have been one of the most hard-earned, well-deserved All-Irelands in years.

Post-match analysis is even hard. Tyrone had plenty of chances to win it but yet Mayo were the better team: stronger midfield, big players had big games, experience/cuteness.

Tyrone will be disappointed at the missed chances but I still don't think they have refined their forward play enough yet. This was evident in the Ulster final too where their shots and decision making up front was poor to say the least and Sean Cavanagh ended up getting them out of jail. They could have easily lost that match. The lack of a real free-taker is also very problematic. They desperately need a Cillian O'Connor. Matches are often won and lost on frees especially the deeper you get into the business end of the championship. Tyrone won't win an All-Ireland without a consistent free-taker.
Looking at it overall I thought Mayo were the better team. They were just more clinical in front of the posts and worked hard throughout. The management got it very right as well. The whole team looked very hungry for the win and seemed genuinely relieved at the end. Physically they were the much more imposing side too. At one point I saw O'Shea in full forward with the Tyrone full back and the height disparity alone was almost comical. One gripe I do have is with the fannying about at the end with the passing the ball back and forth. That's kamikaze stuff and could have back fired badly if Tyrone's shooting wasn't so terrible.

He didn't unduly trouble the Corofin backs when they played Ballintubber a couple of seasons ago.

To be fair, the kid was about 18 a couple of seasons ago and likely not playing at the level he's at now. He seems to have come on in leaps and bounds in the last year and really seemed to finally break through on the big stage in the semifinal against Dublin last August. He seems pretty integral to Mayo now, though he was quiet enough against Tyrone. He looked like he might have been carrying an injury or some such. Very talented kid and growing into a serious athlete too. He can cover some amount of ground.

The Mayo management deserve some credit for how this played out. They seemed to know the Tyrone system inside out and they got the best out of all the key battles. They made great use of the bench as well. The only criticism I'd have is if management were the ones who told the players to hold onto possession and pass back and forth aimlessly in the last 5 minutes or so. That's risky business when you're only a point up and it could have backfired. Mayo had an extra man at that point. They should have kicked another score or two, because they could have. I doubt they're worrying too much about that now though.

The McLoughlin tactic is a bit strange alright when you'd imagine Higgins is ideal for it so I wonder if Mayo have something up their sleeve for the big tests?

I don't think McLoughlin has been the failure some suggest either.

He hasn't been a failure imo either but you'd imagine switching them would be an obvious and positive move

It has taken McLoughlin time to adjust, but I think he is gradually getting used to it and the way he carries the ball forward from the back is quite good. I think he's a good kick-passer and is often intelligent in possession which I think is why he has been put in the role. Keith Higgins is another clever player, but he is offering another dimension to their half-foward line. He was involved in so many plays against Westmeath last weekend. Just because he isn't scoring a lot doesn't mean he isn't contributing.

It seems that it has just been decided by some sections of the media though that McLoughlin is not a sweeper and never will be and that spin has now just stuck, regardless of whether it's the truth or not.

As poor as Mayo have played all year the current Tyrone team in building mode are beatable. As for peaking I believe this group of Mayo players peaked in 2013.

The demolition job they did on Donegal in 2013 was one of the finest Croke Park displays I've seen in recent years. It was like everything just fell into place perfectly for them that day. The final was there for the taking for them too, but I think James Horan and his glacially paced reaction speed on the sideline cost them.

I hear it's nothing but coke and hookers in the Mayo team hotel tonight. They might not bother with Croke Park tomorrow and just head to the pubs around it instead.

Yes I think the euphoria of the Ulster Final has worn off and pundits/experts are siding with Mayo now. That's probably a bit of pressure to be honest and I hope it doesn't get to the Westerners. 31 counties are willing them on.

I haven't heard anyone siding with Mayo apart from Wooly Parkinson and Eoin Liston. The vast majority I've read and heard are going for Tyrone. But nice try at playing yourselves down.

Just heard Oisin McConville on the Second Captains podcast virtually writing Mayo off and suggesting the weekend's games won't be as competitive as people are hoping or thinking. He was verging on dismissive. I would be very surprised if Tyrone walked this. They appear to be in a better position to win the match than Mayo based on current form, but I still think they'll have a fight on their hands.

Mayo had a spread of 9 different scorers against Westmeath. That's much better than what we're used to seeing from them when Cillian O'Connor was shouldering most of the scoring responsibilities.

A key feature of this Mayo group of players since 2012 has been a big spread of scorers and some games has had 12 or 13 different Mayo scorers.

Cillian O'Connor is statistically the most relied upon forward in the game. He shoulders more of the scoring responsibilities for Mayo than Conor McManus does for Monaghan. Not having any consistent back up for him who can score from play has been an issue. Their biggest issue is their full back line though.

Mayo had a spread of 9 different scorers against Westmeath. That's much better than what we're used to seeing from them when Cillian O'Connor was shouldering most of the scoring responsibilities. Andy Moran has added a new dimension to their attack as a target man and is smart on the ball. A fully fit Diarmuid O'Connor is going to take some stopping and Cillian O'Connor contributed well against Westmeath. For me, Mayo's real problem, as always, is the vulnerabilities in their full back line. Kevin Keane is not mobile enough and fouls far too often, and I think Mickey Harte will seek to catch him out. Kevin McLoughlin is unproven in his new role and I think Tyrone will target him too. Tyrone's counter-attacking game will put the Mayo full back line under massive pressure if given half a chance. I could see Tyrone aiming to strike early with a goal or two and kill the game off.

If Mayo get over Tyrone and Diarmuid O'Connor plays well, he'll be a lock for one. If Mayo go all the way, I'd strongly fancy him for FOTY too. If Tyrone come through, Peter Harte has to be in with a good shout and wouldn't be surprised to see Sean Cavanagh grab one. Tiernan McCann has to have a good chance too. Plenty of contenders all over the pitch for Dublin with Brian Fenton sure to pick one up if he keeps up the good form. I reckon Cian O'Sullivan will be there or thereabouts too. James O'Donoghue hasn't played nearly enough football this year to seriously be in contention for FOTY at this stage.

Unfortunately for Donegal I think Dublin will win this rather easily after a possibly cagey first half. Donegal still have plenty of talent in their squad, but tactically it's all over the place. McGuinness pulled off a masterstroke in 2014 and outwitted Gavin on the sideline. I don't think Rory Gallagher is wiley or brave enough to pull off a McGuinness-like ambush.

I don't see how this Mayo team could be 'on the wane' though. The age profile is not actually that old. Many of their players would be of a similar age to Dublin's players and younger than some of Kerry's key players. Granted, they haven't won an All-Ireland in order to feed that craving for some reward for the work they're putting in, which may make one disillusioned, but I wouldn't be so quick to declare that they are in decline. Tyrone are a team who appear to be improving and perhaps Mayo haven't been operating at 100% yet, but Mayo have a very good squad and I wouldn't be surprised in the least if they have another gear when they need to find it. I said in the Westmeath v Mayo thread that there's no sense in hammering teams in the qualifiers. The latter stages of the championship is where good form matters. Mayo are more than capable of a big performance and a written off Mayo is a dangerous animal. The underdog tag has suited them rather well in the past. If Tyrone are going to win, they're going to have to fight for it. 

Would the knives be out in some quarters for MH if tyrone were to lose this?

Can't imagine Harte is under any pressure, that would be ridiculous. Would the knives be out for Rochford if Mayo get beaten?

It seems like nearly every season tyrone have been knocked out, there are a few (sometimes more than a few) calling for his head - there definitely were 3 years ago when we beat them narrowly in a sf.

As for Rochford, there will be a few whinging about him not being up to it and more (generally from outside the county) saying that the player revolt cost us but most supporters will be happy to give him another 2 years and see how he gets on.

I think Rochford needs to build his own team and implement his style with a younger group, which could take a couple of years. The fact remains that the majority of the group he's working with now are James Horan's players and I don't know if they feel comfortable playing any other way after doing things the Horan way for so many years (even though I don't believe Horan was ever going to win an All-Ireland doing things the way he was doing it). Rochford needs a semi-clean slate to really make his mark in Mayo and forge a new identity for the team. All that said, I still think Mayo have a big performance in them yet and wouldn't be surprised at all if they take Tyrone out.