Mayo GAA manager Andy Moran and his players will return battle-hardened from Monaghan. They seemed in full control at half-time, but everyone kind of anticipated a fightback from the Farney men, as they had done before.
Eventually, due to crucial interventions from Ryan O’Donoghue and Kobe McDonald, Mayo got the win over the line and will be in the winners’ pot come the draw for Round 2A on Tuesday.
We run the rule over the Mayo players’ performances on Sunday:
1. Jack Coyne: 6.5/10. The captain's performances have been under more scrutiny recently. He put the effort in as usual, and was efficient with the ball. But couldn't contribute any big interventions, was late on a few tackles.
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2. Donnacha McHugh: 7/10. He replaced Westport man Rory Brickenden in the full-back line. McHugh was tasked with keeping the Monaghan forwards quiet, but in the second he got caught in no-man's-land when Monaghan scored the second goal. Looked a bit rusty at times.
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3. Enda Hession: 6.5/10. The Garrymore man never lacks the input going forward, supporting the attack and finding the pass. But was not up to the mark to fetch the high ball that led directly to Monaghan's first goal.
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4. Sam Callinan: 7/10. He has probably been the one of the two or three most consistent high-performers this year for Mayo. The tireless worker in Clones, that we've come to appreciate. Got caught twice over-carrying. But was very aggressive in defence, won a brilliant turnover for Mayo in midfield.
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