Mayo go for national glory in Croker

THERE was a real rollercoaster of emotions on Sunday at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park as Mayo, in the end, overcame Donegal and booked their place in the National Football League Final against Kerry in Croke Park.

At one stage in the second half, Mayo were actually in the relegation places, but a crucial late penalty save from Colm Reape was a huge factor in the win that saw them end up topping a hugely competitive Division One table.

Manager Kevin McStay now has to dust his players down ahead of what should be another rip-roaring encounter at headquarters on Sunday.

“We reflect on the league as seven tough games and we got an awful lot out of it,” said the Mayo manager after the game.

One game at a time

“We developed as a group and certainly built out our capacity and got a lot of things out of the league. We have found the best way to navigate is one day, and one game at a time,” he continued.

“What a game to have at this time of the year – a fantastic game to have and fantastic prep. It really sends the league to bed on a national stage in Croke Park. Then we’ll get ready for the championship game thereafter. That’s the way we’ve approached it since we became the management team and it’s not going to change.”

Many had questioned whether Mayo actually would want to make the final given that they will play Sligo in the championship just seven days later, but surely the players themselves will be looking forward to another big game where they can win a third league title in just six years.

The squad has developed really well throughout the league, and they certainly have come a long way since the two defeats which they suffered at the start of the campaign.

It was a great victory over Kerry in Round Five that really got Mayo’s season up and running, and they won’t mind in the slightest that the bookies will have Jack O’Connor’s side as hot favourites going into Sunday’s encounter.

In Ryan O’Donoghue they have at present probably the best forward in the country and Frank Irwin has also announced himself during the league campaign as a forward of real calibre.

READ MORE: Mayo GAA guide: Six inter-county games scheduled for this week

Players in form

THE form of players like Jack Carney and Jordan Flynn is also hugely encouraging, and Donnacha McHugh is likely to again be tasked with keeping Kerry’s star man David Clifford quiet, as he did in MacHale Park earlier in the season.

The championship is of course the competition that everyone wants to win, but the National Football League is still a very prestigious competition in its own right and we can expect Mayo to have a real go at claiming the crown now that they are in the final.

Sunday’s game is a double header with the Division Three final between Offaly and Kildare so a big crowd is expected to travel from the west. We wish Kevin McStay, his backroom team and the Mayo squad the very best of luck on Sunday as they try and bring the NFL title to the county for the second time in three years.