If Mayo approach today's All-Ireland SFC semi-final with the right attitude, Alan Brogan believes they will possess too much quality for this year's surprise packets Tipperary.

Writing in today's Sunday Independent, the former 'Footballer of the Year' praises the Premier County for their free flowing football but thinks the Connacht men will be one bridge too far.

"I get the sense that this Tipperary team are not reading the script. We have been told over the last few years that to compete with the stronger teams you must adopt a watertight defensive structure, hit on the break and hope you grab enough scores to eke out a win.

"Not Liam Kearns' team - they are playing with a freedom and an abandon that reminds me of Fermanagh when they faced Dublin in an All-Ireland quarter-final last year. The difference is that Fermanagh didn't really believe they could win. I think Tipperary do. The performance of a lifetime could land them in an All-Ireland final.

"That said, they go into a game against a Mayo team that has had the chance to galvanise over a couple of qualifier matches. Sometimes when there is mud slung at a team, character questioned and reputation on the line, the bond in a group can tighten. While I don't believe the win over Tyrone was the greatest performance we have seen from this Mayo team, the result will bring them on immensely."

He added: "Today will go a long way to telling us where the maturity of this Mayo team is at. There is no room for nervousness or edginess, no room for cavalier performances which I so often associate with Mayo. A steely, professional performance is what is required; the way to snuff out a lesser team's hopes is not to let them breathe from the off. A strong and solid Mayo start will take the wind from the Tipperary sails."

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