Arguably the two top midfielders in the country come face to face on All-Ireland final day in what is a fascinating duel. Apart from being superb footballers and athletes, both men bring tremendous leadership to their respective teams. McGarrity was having the game of his life in Mayo's memorable All-Ireland semi-final win over Dublin until he was forced to retire late in the first half with concussion sustained as a result of a controversial tackle by Ciaran Whelan. Like Kerry's Kieran Donaghy, McGarrity is also an accomplished basketball player and plays with the Merry Monk club in Ballina. He made his senior championship debut against Galway in 2004 and played a starring role in Mayo's march to the All-Ireland final that year. The son of a Fermanagh man, McGarrity was a key figure for Ballina Stephenites when they won the All-Ireland club championship last year. The 24-year-old has been in magnificent form again this season and his spectacular fielding, coupled with his high-octane performances, have been central to Mayo's success to date. The 6'4 giant has forged a strong partnership with Pat Harte and will be hoping to atone for the disappointment of losing the 2004 final to the Kingdom. A member of Kerry's most famous football dynasty, O Se has been totally rejuvenated in recent games and gave an outstanding display of high fielding during the second half of the All-Ireland semi-final win over Cork. An ankle injury prevented him from lining out against Mayo two years ago and after losing last year's decider to Tyrone, he will feel he has a point to prove. Darragh has been a mainstay of the Kerry team since making his debut 11 years ago. He was one of the stars of the Kerry under 21 team that won an All-Ireland title in 1996 and garnered the first of three senior All-Ireland medals the following year when Kerry defeated Mayo. By the turn of the Millennium, O Se had established himself as the best midfielder in the business and was central to Kerry's All-Ireland win in 2000. The An Ghaeltacht colossus is very much a man for the big occasion and along with younger brothers Tomas and Marc, was instrumental in the hugely satisfying quarter-final defeat of bogey side Armagh. When Kerry beat Mayo in last year's All-Ireland quarter-final, O Se's goal early in the second half proved to be the decisive score. Mayo fans haven't forgotten that and will be hoping that their number eight will be able to stop him from exerting his usual influence on the game. Tweet

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