Colm O'Neill says Mayo have been pacing themselves this year.

As the Connacht champions prepare to lock horns with Kerry at Croke Park on Sunday, O'Neill suspects that they still have plenty in the tank:

"Mayo are probably doing things differently than they have done in previous years," the Cork attacker - who was on the losing side against both sides in this year's championship - notes in The Irish Examiner.

"Last year and the year before, they were peaking at this time, they were blowing teams out of the water and then losing the final.

"As far back as the Roscommon game in Connacht, they did just enough to get over the line there. They haven't set the world on fire but they seem to be tailoring the approach, so that they're ready for bigger games.

"They've been the most consistent team over the last two or three years and I suppose the experience they have gained has been a huge help in that.

"One noticeable thing against Mayo the last day was that, while there might have been a short kickout here and there, most were put down the middle. They build their game really on primary possession and it's a cliché but you can't do much if you don't have the ball. The middle eight will be a huge battle."

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