Noel Connelly says Mayo are mindful of the fact that Dublin have tweaked their approach this year to provide a more defensive platform.

As the Connacht champions prepare to lock horns with their Leinster counterparts in an eagerly-awaited All-Ireland semi-final this weekend, Mayo's joint-manager points out that previous meetings count for nothing:

"We'll be focusing on the way Dublin have changed their style of play and gone more defensive in the last year," he states in The Irish Times. "They have learned their lesson from Donegal last year.

"So really you have to focus on this year's championship and the way they are playing in that. And their league form. We're under no illusions about the task that lies ahead but we would hope that we would be ready for that and put in a good performance."

Connelly admits that the westerners will be zoning in on counteracting Stephen Cluxton's kick-outs: "Any team that plays Dublin has to work on his kick-outs. He's the master of it; most of their attacks stem from the quick kick-out. He's the art of getting the kick-out off after three or four seconds. The ball is at the post and he has it back in play very quickly.

"We have to adapt to that, try and close down the space, close down the kick-outs but it's not easy because he's the expert at it."

Tweet

Most Read Stories