Brian Fenton: Is Dublin's totem the greatest midfielder ever to play Gaelic football?

Fenton and Dublin face Meath in Saturday's Leinster final

After achieving a fifth consecutive All-Ireland title last year, Brian Fenton and Dublin are on the hunt for more silverware.

The Sky Blues are three steps from retaining the Sam Maguire Cup, and face Meath in Saturday's Leinster final.

The Raheny club man has been at his brilliant best thus far in the wins over Westmeath and Laois. And in light of those performances, Kieran Donaghy suggested Fenton is the greatest midfielder to play the game.

"This guy is six foot four, I talked to Mike Quirke, the Laois manager, after the game. He said this fella is gliding across the ground like an Olympic sprinter. He got 0-5 at the weekend, he had a goal chance," said the Kerry native.

Fenton was virtually everywhere in Croke Park last weekend

"He's never lost a championship game! We're five years in, and this guy hasn't lost a championship game! I know he came into a rockstar team. He's the real deal.

"Jack O'Shea got four Players of the Year and I have to give Jacko a shout-out. He is up there. But I just think [Fenton's] physique; he's bigger than Jacko, he's stronger than Jacko, he's as much an athlete as Jacko, he's as good a kicker as Jacko, and he hasn't lost a championship game in five years.

"Even the mercurial Jack O'Shea had a few slip-ups in championship games for Kerry."

So how do you go about stifling his impact on the game?

"Kerry have done a good job on him at stages," Donaghy continued.

"Jack Barry, you've to give Jack credit. That's what you need to do with him, you need to go out and almost put your biggest, most athletic defensive-minded player that's just going to go out and go toe-to-toe with him. Try and stick to him. He'll turn his back to the ball, he won't be looking for the ball, he's going to have to keep all his energy in.

"And that's not really what you want out of your midfielders - yes, you want them working and tracking, but you need your midfielders to get the ball up the pitch, you need them to be competitive in the air, you need them scoring, you need them doing a bit of everything. You're taking that out of your team to make sure you nullify one of their guys. But I think Fenton is so good and so important to Dublin now, I think [Andy] McEntee might look at putting [Bryan] Menton on Fenton and just going toe-to-toe and try and take him out of it."

Bryan Menton is likely to pick up the 2018 Footballer of the Year on Saturday

Peter Canavan wasn't opposed to the notion that Fenton could be the finest midfielder the game has seen.

"He's certainly getting there," said the Tyrone legend.

"I was just thinking when [Kieran] was describing the qualities he has, going forward, other teams are setting up and just putting a defender on him to mark. Sean Cavanagh in his pomp for Tyrone when we were going well, that's what was happening. Midfielders weren't going to pick him up, it was a really strong defender such was his prowess and strength going forward.

"But without a doubt, you have to look at his championship record; unbelievable. And he appears to be getting better if anything. There's no sign that he's going backwards. He's getting stronger off the so-called weaker foot. And it's hard to disagree with his record, the way he is playing and the amount of top-class performances. He is definitely without doubt one of the best."

Watch the full discussion on Inside The Game at 6pm Wednesday on Sky Sports Mix.