EDITORIAL: Signs for optimism about Mayo team despite defeat in Kerry

MAYO might have suffered their first defeat of the National Football League at Tralee on Saturday evening, but there was a real sense of optimism among the large crew of travelling supporters after a very entertaining game.
The game did lack that championship intensity we are likely to see during the summer but after a lacklustre first-half display, Mayo fought back well, only to be denied at the death by the brilliance of David Clifford.
It was good to see the likes of Diarmuid O'Connor and Enda Hession get some game time into their legs and other players like Mattie Ruane and James Carr should be returning soon to give Kevin McStay even more options for the second half of the league campaign.
The games come thick and fast now for Mayo before their trip to New York in early April. Next up is a tricky trip to Omagh to play Tyrone, who will be smarting after a narrow loss to Galway at the weekend.
If Mayo were to take the two points in Omagh, they would pretty much be safe from relegation to Division Two, before they face near neighbours Roscommon at home in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Round 5.
Round 6 will see Derry travel to Castlebar for what should be a cracker and Mayo's final game in the league is away to Monaghan in Clones on Sunday, March 24.

Final conundrum?
THERE are two schools of thought on whether or not Mayo should be targeting a place in a league final which will take place just four or five days before their trip to the Big Apple, but securing back to back league titles would be a fair feat for McStay and his management team, and with plenty of players now at his disposal, the Mayo manager is sure to change his team from week to week.
What last weekend's game did teach us is that Kerry are still very much one of the teams to beat in this year's championship. The Clifford brothers look to be moving with particular menace already this year and Jack O'Connor seems intent on making sure his team will be in the mix come the business end of the championship in June and July.
As usual, a huge Mayo crowd travelled again last weekend to Tralee but having all of Mayo's games so far live on TV has also given public houses across the county a boost, with large crowds turning out at what would usually be a quieter time for the pubs in February.
Mayo's next three games are also live on TV, with the Tyrone game going ahead at 5.15pm this Saturday, not long after Ireland's big Six Nations game against Wales will have concluded. It promises to be another big sporting weekend.