'Work in progress': Moran speaks post-Mayo win in Galway

The calm and quietness under the stand was in stark contrast to the chaos which had ensued out on the pitch all afternoon.

Andy Moran sat in the corner of the room, took a breath and tried to put words on a match that defied explanation at times.

Had it been chaos?

“It wasn't chaotic for a long time and then it suddenly got chaotic,” Moran told the gathering of scribes.

“We did an awful lot well and we have an awful lot to work on. We were 12 points up at one stage and they nearly pulled it back only for a few saves near the end.

“We're delighted with the two points. It wasn't the be-all-and-end-all coming up here, but they've beaten us four times in a row and we had to stop that rot at least.

Is there a new emphasis on attacking football? “We have a way we want to play the game. I think it suits the players we have and that's what we're trying to do,” he added before being asked about lessons learned in the roller-coaster encounter.

“We didn't learn it today. We knew it last year and it's still very true. Once a team gets momentum on you, it's so hard to stop the momentum.

"The kick-out is so important. We know the kick-out is so important to Galway in the way they like to play.

“You can't get the ball forward without winning the kick-out and if you lose it, they're running down your throat. So, once we started losing our own kick-outs in the second half it swung in their favour.”

Sunday's battle had been a score-fest with man-on-man competition all over the field. Will Mayo be defending in that manner for the rest of the season?

“I'm not sure we were full-blown, man-on-man. There was a bit more to it than that, but yeah, we were probably aggressive in our defence. Is it sustainable for a season? It's all depends on who you're playing against.

"We'll see what the right way to go about it is depending on who we're up against,” he continued before addressing the issue of an injury picked up by debutant corner-back Eoin McGreal early in the game.

“We were very disappointed for him. He started outstandingly well. It showed how well he started when his man (Fionn McDonagh) scored three points directly after he went off.

"That affected our flow for a time. He's an outstanding player, huge pace, but I think Sam (Callinan), Sean Morahan and Paddy Durcan did a great job there moving forward as well.

What's the message to the supporters before next weekend's match against Dublin in Castlebar?

“The supporters are so important. If they weren't back today, we'd have been in trouble. We're a work in progress - far from the finished article, but we're trying to do the right things and trying to play the right way.

“Some days we're going to go well for periods like today for 50, 55 minutes we were going really well.

"Other days, it's not going to work so well and we'll have to go away and work on things. We're a work in progress and are trying our best.

“It was great to see players like young Beirne and Cian McHale and Sean Morahan doing so well. We've Seamus Howard and a few more boys to come as well, so hopefully we see them push through over the next couple of weeks.”