EDITORIAL: Derry will be a big test for resurgent Mayo

The format of the GAA senior football championship most definitely has its critics, but after the round robin series, 12 teams are still standing in the hunt for the Sam Maguire Cup.
Kevin McStay and his Mayo team were oh so close to enjoying a weekend off when they led Dublin by a point on Sunday last as the clock ticked down in Hyde Park in Roscommon.
The immense Ryan O’Donoghue had kicked his seventh point in stoppage time, but a fabulous catch from Ciaran Kilkenny from a Stephen Cluxton kick out set Dublin on the front foot and eventually the superb Cormac Costello fisted a seventh point of his own to earn the Dubs a draw, and crucially a place on the top of the group on scoring difference.
Mayo will naturally have been disappointed when the final whistle went, but on reflection they will have to be very happy with their overall display on Sunday.
Dublin are worthy favourites for the All-Ireland title, but Mayo were perhaps the better team, and they will now have a pep in their step as they welcome Derry to Hastings Insurance MacHale Park for a do-or-die clash on Saturday evening.
Mayo will start favourites, mainly due to the fact that Derry have very much been off colour so far in the Championship, despite having performed so well in the league, when they won that trophy back in April.
They secured their place in the last 12 with an underwhelming victory over Westmeath, after defeats to Galway and Armagh, and they will now hope to recapture their best form in a game that is sure to bring a big crowd to Castlebar.

Conroy on form
Mayo’s main concern at the moment is the over reliance on O’Donoghue for scores, but Tommy Conroy’s three points against Dublin was a great return to form for the The Neale man, and he will be hoping to repeat that type of performance against Derry on Sunday.
Conor Loftus and a fit-again Diarmuid O’Connor will also be pushing for starts next weekend, and Kevin McStay will know that he will need to see a big performance not only from his starting 15 but also from his substitutes if Mayo are to come out on top against Derry.
If they win, they will be heading to Croke Park again for another quarter-final against one of the four table toppers – namely Dublin, Kerry, Donegal or Armagh. But Mayo showed last Sunday that they can be a match for any of the top teams in the country on their day.
Mayo will return to training tonight (Tuesday) with an added confidence among the squad, and they can now have a right rattle over the next fortnight when there is guaranteed to be a proper championship intensity to proceedings.
Some questioned whether Mayo might not really want to show their hand on Sunday against Dublin, but manager McStay dismissed what he described as ‘nonsense’ talk about his team saving themselves for the preliminary quarter-final.
His side gave it a right go for the 70 minutes and showed they are improving with every outing – and they know that improvement will have to continue to beat Derry and go on further in what is now the business end of the championship.
There was certainly a return to a proper championship atmosphere at the Hyde on Sunday, and Mayo fans will hopefully turn out in big numbers on Sunday and create a cauldron in MacHale Park when Mickey Harte’s northerners roll into town.
Derry recorded a victory when they were last in Castlebar in an entertaining league encounter, so Mayo know full well they will have to be at the peak of their powers to remain in the championship after next Saturday evening. It should make for a great game.