Diarmuid Connolly has seemingly backed Mayo to go all the way this year ahead of their Allianz League showdown with Kerry this weekend.
The Division One high flyers lock horns in Tralee this weekend in a clash that could stand out as a future Championship dress rehearsal should both sides enjoy successful summers.
And Dublin legend Connolly is pulling behind Mayo and manager James Horan to have 'something up his sleeve' for the Kingdom on Saturday as he hinted that he's behind the Green and Red's tilt at Sam Maguire in 2022.
Connolly told BoyleSports : “This is down at Austin Stack Park in Tralee and it’s the stand-out game of the weekend. Both are on seven points in the league so far and Kerry are probably a little bit ahead of Mayo right now.
"But you can see what happened the last day for Mayo against Armagh. They rolled off the bench with their big name players and got over the line. I know they had a couple of injuries, but this is a very intriguing game.
“Kerry are a very short price and Mayo have a little bit to prove. They have to travel down to Tralee and get a result when Kerry look superior at home at the moment. They went to Monaghan the last day and I was thinking it was a bogey place for Kerry to go, but they blew them out of the water.
“The 3-14 to 1-12 score was probably flattering for Monaghan and David Clifford looks top of the ground again, but they also had three debutants in Dylan Casey, Gavin Crowley and Tony Brosnan.
"So they are building a squad, but on the flip side of that, Mayo made great subs against Armagh. Aidan O’Shea and Paddy Durcan had a massive impact on the game.
“This is an intriguing affair and I like how direct both teams are playing. They’re not being overly defensive. This will probably be a battle of the middle third and whoever can win that will probably win the match.
“I think this year is going to be Mayo’s year. I know how good Kerry are down in Tralee, but I just have a sneaking suspicion that James Horan has something up his sleeve for these guys on Saturday.”
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