The first win of the season is in for Mayo and that was the biggest takeaway from the weekend. Two points have to be made.
First: The manner of how anything played out is secondary.

All that really matters at this stage is that you get the two points on the board. And the other point: It's nice to beat Tyrone at home. There have been a number of instances over the years where Mayo have lost against the likes of Tyrone and Monaghan in Castlebar, so Sunday’s win was very important.

READ: Mayo still ‘a work in progress’, says Kevin McStay

Mayo manager Kevin McStay will feel a bit of pressure taken off him and the management team, and that's important as well. From the players' point of view, it's not easy to start the season with defeats, and then people say, well, you're not playing with any confidence. It's hard to have confidence if you're losing.

So the result will add a bit of confidence. It will make going into training that bit easier for the players this week. It gives them the chance to go on and play with more confidence for the remainder of the league, and pick up more points. It's still going to be a tough challenge for Mayo there's no doubt about that. This is an exceptionally competitive league.

READ: Mayo battle past Tyrone to secure first win of the season

FRUSTRATION

That said, there was some frustration watching Mayo’s attack in Castlebar. There were a number of occasions where there were Mayo players in space in the attacking half with ball in hand and they didn’t have a go.

There were opportunities to take on their man one-on-one and they didn’t go for it. They seem to be a little too cautious and that may be a hangover from the way football has been played over the past number of years when all teams were so risk averse.

There were two instances where Mayo players took on their man in the first half and it opened up for them. Eoghan McLaughlin did so and created a goal chance, Davitt Neary did so and kicked a point. We didn’t do that often enough and that’s the most frustrating thing about watching Mayo at the moment.  

On Sunday, as in the Dublin game, Mayo seemed to be trying to create opportunities around the scoring arc. However, not being able to get those two-pointer shots away defeats that line of thinking.

It was also interesting to note over the weekend that some of the referees, and this is not a complaint at all, are struggling to get to grips with all the new rules. And to be honest, that’s one of my main concerns at this stage - more and more stuff is being heaped on referees, and it's making their job even harder.

O’DONOGHUE IMPACT

Looking at the team as a whole, and being totally biased, I was delighted to see fellow Belmullet-man Eoin O'Donoghue get a run.

He put in a solid performance, particularly when he hasn't played that much football in a long time at this level. Any time you keep a team to 10 points over 70 minutes of football, you're doing a lot of things right at the back.

Even with some Tyrone players missing, you can only play what's in front of you. And holding them to only ten points is a massive positive for Mayo. Particularly for O'Donoghue getting into the team and doing so well.

Eoghan McLaughlin added to the group as did Jordan Flynn and they’re two very direct players. They're players who know exactly what they want to do when they get the ball, and I think that makes a big difference to the team. 

Jordan Flynn has turned into a fantastic footballer. He showed leadership in the game, he showed physicality. He kicked Mayo's only two-pointer, he's one of a small number of our players that has that in his locker. Having him back makes the job a little bit easier for Matthew Ruane beside him, and Conor Reid and Davitt Neary, because Jordan provides a serious physical presence. 

POSITIVES

Up front, we've seen Davitt Neary be consistent in these games. He's got something to work with. Over the last season or two we've seen glimpses of Frank Irwin, and you see the tools he has at his disposal: He's big, he's a good kicker, and the way he scored two points in the second half was absolutely outstanding.

The best score of the day was the one where he jinked inside as pressure came at him from the right, but he got the shot away just in time and curled it inside the post. That's high skill level, because he had to hurry up his whole process and it shows the ability he has to kick the ball. I was absolutely delighted to see him do that. 

BENCH IMPACT

Also it's great to  have quality players coming off the bench. Ryan O'Donoghue came in and without being spectacular, he showed leadership and reliability, which was very evident in the lead-up to the last score for Fergal Boland. 

Similarly again, Boland got his hands on a lot of ball and kicked two scores off the bench when he came on for Towey. His ability to shoot is probably a bit easier coming off the bench when there's more space because of tired legs.

Aidan O'Shea also arrived in the last quarter. Having that experience to bring off the bench at a key stage in an important, tight game is crucial. He was involved in a lot of things and that sort of leadership off the bench is critical. 

Now, it’s all about next Saturday evening’s game in The Athletic Grounds, a venue I’m somewhat familiar with. This is a really big opportunity for Mayo.

Armagh were defeated by Donegal and they've only one win after three games as well. If Mayo can somehow go up there and get a win, they jump up the table and that changes the narrative in the division pretty quickly. It’ll be an interesting evening.

READ: 'I wasn't that good then' - Former Mayo GAA star on almost quitting football