Only a clairvoyant could have predicted Mayo and Fermanagh would be the form teams in mid-August.

Flash back to the National League opener in Enniskillen; to suggest the two counties that slugged it out on a chilly February day would be eyeballing each other in Croke Park this Sunday would have brought derision from the Brewster Park crowd. For the record, Mayo edged that drab affair 1-7 to 0-8.

Neither side did much else in the winter or spring but come peak time both raised the bar. Fermanagh's scalps are impressive: Armagh, Meath, Cork and Donegal. Mayo's run is less surprising. They eclipsed Galway, rolled Roscommon over and outshone a rigid Tyrone. In past years that would have been enough to earn an All-Ireland final spot.

On paper, an irrelevancy this year, and on recent form Mayo look like the best team still standing. Their performances against Galway and subsequently Tyrone have only been eclipsed by Armagh's demolition of Donegal in the Ulster final.

Significantly, Armagh were unable to replicate this display when faced with the Fermanagh question.

"If Fermanagh were known as any other team, let's say Cork or Galway, with the victories they have thrown up in the back-door system and - bear in mind they did run Tyrone close in the actual Ulster championship - they would be red-hot favourites to win the All-Ireland at this stage," said Mayo selector George Golden.

"They have bounced back from the game against Tyrone, and it was by no means a poor performance. It was one of the better performances of the year but once the back door opened and they got into it they have seriously improved. They are a very formidable outfit.

"There were similarities in both sides' victories (in the quarter-finals) however, this weekend poses a whole different challenge. A type of a game with a lot of pace in it and a lot of movement off the ball."

To end the swashbuckling and almost carefree charge of Fermanagh, and reach a third All-Ireland final under John Maughan, Mayo must hit the high notes.

"David Brady and Kieran McDonald are both playing exceptionally well. There is a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, that's a good thing," Golden continued, "but all our lads have been doing it at various stages in the matches. It's not just a one-man, two-man or four-man team. It's a Mayo team. Some people would say that Alan Dillon moving up to the mark against Tyrone was a big surprise but not for us. Alan Dillon is a decent footballer and that's why he is on the Mayo team. "

Unlike Maughan and fellow selector Liam McHale, Golden was not involved when Mayo last scaled these heights but he does admit the difference from the past is the new crop of free-scoring attackers.

"Yeah, we're able to score. If we get the ball up into our forward line we pose a threat. That's very important. When you have defenders down the other side of the field really killing themselves to limit the opposition to the least amount of scores as possible it gives them a lift to get the ball back up the field and see shots going over.

"It's an area of our game which has caused us immense problems over the years. We worked very hard on trying to create as many chances as we can and to limit the misuse of ball in the forward line. We have been hitting up to 16 or 17 scores per game. That type of score would win you most matches. If a team outscores that they deserve to win the match."

Guess what? Fermanagh have averaged 16 points in their five matches thus far. Sets it up nicely for a thriller.