Stephen O'Brien and Colin O'Riordan (Tipperary) v Cathal McShane and Frank Burns (Tyrone)
THE midfield quartet has the potential to have an enormous impact on this game. In their All-Ireland semi-final victory over Dublin, the Tipperary forward line managed just 0-4 from play.
Modern defensive systems provide minimal room for inside forwards and the better teams have adapted by engineering scores from other sectors of the field.
Tipp's midfield duo of O'Brien (0-2) and O'Riordan (0-2) matched the combined tally of their forward line. O'Brien was man-of-the-match against Dublin and kicked one of the twopoints which secured Tipperary's victory after extra-time. Tyrone also possess a scoring threat at midfield. Like their Tipperary counterparts the Red Hand duo of Cathal McShane (above) (0-3) and Frank Burns (0-1) chalked up a total of 0-4 in the All-Ireland semi-final. Frank Burns also showed big-game character when he fired over a crucial point in the closing stages.