THE KEY DECISIONS FOR THE MANAGERS TO MAKE

JIM Gavin holds the box-seat ahead of next weekend’s All-Ireland final for his side know what it takes to win the Sam Maguire and how to defy Tyrone in the championship.

Mickey Harte, who has failed to do the former in a decade, is the manager required to do something different to win.

All of which has probably fuelled the perennial All-Ireland rumour mill up north this week, with the suggestion that AFL star Conor McKenna is slated to make a sensational return to the Tyrone panel for this All-Ireland final.

Harte has plucked a few tactical gambits from his well-honed playbook down the years, from double-subbing Peter Canavan to double-positioning Cormac McAnallen and Joe McMahon.

However, drafting in McKenna is not akin to recalling Stephen O’Neill out of the blue, as he did in 2008.

Conor Meyler may be back from the knee injury that kept him out of the Monaghan game to add to Tyrone’s attempted defiance.

Shadowing Ciaran Kilkenny will be a crucial platform for Tyrone to establish the defensive platform that so swiftly subsided when the sides met last summer.

Aside from McKenna, Meyler is a realistic candidate, so too Aidan McCrory, Kieran McGeary or manmarking expert Padraig Hampsey.

Harte will hardly denude his own side’s scoring chances by restricting Mattie Donnelly’s creative streak in order to muffle Kilkenny’s.

If Tyrone can stay competitive, they will need to make an impact from the bench too; Lee Brennan has had a good year but was poor when starting the semi-final; he may be held in reserve.

Gavin is unlikely to pull a rabbit from the hat either; an emotional appearance might be clinically denied as Bernard Brogan is not even certain of his squad berth.

His remarkable journey from injury deserves acclamation, but Dublin may feel that his very appearance in the championship against Roscommon marked that moment.

Brogan’s difficulty will be opportunity for others, be they Eoghan O’Gara, Paddy Andrews or Conor McHugh while Gavin will decide whether Cormac Costello’s push for a start earns its reward.