David Brady has revealed that the story regarding ex-Donegal manager Jim McGuinness being drafted in to help Mayo with their All-Ireland final preparations is not true.
The ex-Mayo midfielder received a text while live on Off The Ball, confirming that the story was too good to be true.
Before receiving the text with the information, Brady had admitted he had had reservations about any decision to seek the assistance of a voice from outside the Mayo panel ahead of Sunday's final against Dublin.
"I was told that Jim McGuinness was down in Limerick. I now know for a fact that he wasn't," he said on Off The Ball, confirming that he had just received a tex while on air.
"That's put to bed there now and this [texter] wasn't telling lies. I can categorically say now, [Mayo manager] Stephen Rochford has never spoken to Jim McGuinness in his life."
Although Brady is very optimistic about his own county's chances and feels it's a "perfect storm" and "ideally suited", he had said that he wasn't sure the McGuinness idea was the best route to go down in any case, as he told us in Saturday's Off The Ball All-Ireland final preview panel.
"Honestly, I don't agree with it. I don't think it's good. I don't think it's right that you're bringing in someone. You always seek advice but to bring in someone so close to a final, are you kind of saying 'well, we need you or we won't in it without having your stamp on it?' Tony McEntee is someone who's won All-Irelands. He's been there.
"What you've been doing up to now, if you think it's right, it's probably the way to go."
David Brady reporting that Jim McGuinness spoke to Mayo players 3 times over the course of a training camp In Limerick.
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) September 17, 2016
Brady also believes Cillian O'Connor should be at centre-forward for the final with Andy Moran is the ideal full-forward.
"The one man I would put centre-forward on Sunday for a lot of reasons is Cililian O'Connor. Without a shadow of a doubt, put him centre because it's going to help his game. His game has suffered to a degree where Mayo aren't getting ball into Cillian or he's coming off the loop a lot because Andy is more or less the target man and he's playing fantastic. I'd bring Cillian out and have him more in the game. He's a guy that can kick points from 40 yards, left or right. That will keep Cian O'Sullivan busy."
"That'll come back and kick you in the arse big time" - Brady on Aidan O'Shea in today's papers saying Mayo aren't at their peak anymore.
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) September 17, 2016
"That's not going to have an effect on Dublin," he added of the O'Shea comments.
Brady also feels that the extra week off in comparison to Dublin in the build-up to the final is an advantage to Mayo and believes that the way Mayo set up now bears a resemblance to the Portugal side that won Euro 2016.
