EDITORIAL: Mayo will be disappointed but all is not lost

THERE was a real sense of disappointment among Mayo fans as they exited Hastings Insurance MacHale Park on Sunday after another loss in a Connacht Final.

Manager Kevin McStay has been very clear in the build-up to the big game that his side had very much targeted winning back the Nestor Cup from Galway but in the end they just came up short when the game was there for the taking in the closing stages.

The Mayo manager was noticeably disappointed himself after the game when he spoke to the media.

“That's another big game down the stretch that we feel we could have won,” he stated following Sunday’s defeat. “Until we start taking those chances and putting the pressure on our opponents, that's going to be our lot. It's a very hard one to take, because we know we had chances to win it.”

Moments

“They were the moments that we could have put the pressure on Galway to a certain extent. But against a significant breeze, they went back up the pitch and got their noses in front again and kept us chasing, and it should have been really the other way around.”

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However, while the defeat will hurt the Mayo players themselves, they know there won't be much time for sulking as they will be back training this week with three important Round Robin matches now on the horizon.

Once they have dealt with Sunday's disappointment, Mayo now know two of those Round Robin opponents and they are against opposition that are undoubtedly beatable.

First up are a young Cavan team who will be travelling to MacHale Park for the second season running, and then there is a tricky trip to an improving Tyrone team who were very unlucky to lose to Armagh in the Ulster Championship.

Mayo will round off the Round Robin campaign at a neutral venue against the winners of the Ulster Championship, with Donegal and Armagh set to face-off at Clones next Saturday evening.

Free-hit

If Mayo were to win their first two games, they would have a free-hit against the Ulster champions, and a win against Cavan will probably guarantee them a place in the Preliminary Quarter-Final at the very least.

Mayo will know they will have to up their game to go deep in the championship but they will be boosted by the imminent return of captain, Paddy Durcan, who should be fit for that first game against Cavan.

So despite Sunday's defeat, all is not lost and as manager McStay said on Sunday, Armagh last year went down narrowly in their provincial final, before eventually going on to claim Sam Maguire.

So there is plenty of football action to look forward to during Summer 2025.