Manner of victory can be spur to great things

BOTH TEAMS deserve fair credit here for producing a game worthy of the occasion, and even if it wasn't the best game of the summer, at least it had two teams really going for it - something possibly missing from last Sunday's Munster final, writes John O'Keefe.

As expected, Galway and Mayo proved evenly matched; it wasn't a day for individual brilliance, but it was a day for old-fashioned grit and determination.

On that note, Galway just about deserved to win; they were the more consistent side over the 70 minutes, and you could see how much it meant to them. They just had a little more class where needed, and while they were stretched to the limit, they'll be delighted to have won.

Mayo put in a great effort, and for them too it looked like a very important game to win, but they were left to regret their poor start, though that wasn't their only problem on the day.

It amazed me how long it took Mayo to settle. They had home advantage and wind advantage and yet looked a barrel of nerves and were guilty of the most basic mistakes from early on.

I always felt the onus was on Mayo here to try to build a lead, to establish dominance at midfield and work on their potential up front, but they did none of that.

Galway looked the more composed early on, carrying the ball at great pace from their back line and sending it in to the forwards. Pádraic Joyce was in excellent form, Nicky Joyce was also winning a lot of possession, and overall, Galway were displaying the better ideas.

The big problem for Mayo was their defence; they just did not seem capable of doing the necessary man-marking job on the likes of Joyce. If anything, Galway could have pushed further ahead had they taken more of their chances, because they were controlling possession up front.

The only exception to that was Micheál Meehan, who was very well marked by Keith Higgins.

But the one man Mayo couldn't contain was Pádraic Joyce. He may be one of the elder members, but his commitment, hunger, all-round vision and delivery of ball are hugely impressive. Considering the number of games he has under his belt, Joyce was a class apart on the day.

Mayo finally got into the game in the run-in to half-time, reacting well to Galway's second goal, and hitting some good scores of their own. It proved there was fight in this Mayo team, because they freed themselves of the shackles of the opening 20 minutes and just decided to "give it a go" and run at them. They certainly would have gone into the half-time break with some hope - unlike, say, Cork again last Sunday.

When they came out for the second half they threw caution to the wind, started to dominate midfield through Ronan McGarrity, and soon found themselves in front. Suddenly Mayo were the ones picking up the breaks, while Galway lost their shape, particularly at midfield.

What left Mayo down was their front third; they lacked the clinical finishing of Galway. One of the things I said before the game was that Galway had the greater spread of forward talent, and that proved crucial, especially as Cormac Bane and young Paul Conroy came up with fine scores when Galway badly needed them.

I know Liam Sammon will be delighted with Galway's work-rate, particularly when Mayo came back at them. He has some areas to work on, and Galway's long, direct ball didn't work nearly as well in the second half.

Galway love to play a passing-running game, but it didn't always suit them here.

Alan Dillon kicked some fine scores to keep Mayo in it, and I was surprised when he didn't step up to take the final free, which could have forced the draw. Conor Mortimer wasn't enjoying his best day, though he was well marked by Diarmuid Blake; it meant his confidence wasn't sky-high, which it needed to be for a free like that.

Still, Mayo had the momentum for long stretches in the second half. Their problem was when Galway got a sniff of a point they usually took it. In other words, they looked liked scoring almost every time they went forward, whereas Mayo needed to string together nine or 10 passes and then try to kick under pressure.

Galway clearly have the forward line to win most matches. Their full-back line did well, and if they can strengthen up midfield a little, which Joe Bergin should do when he returns, they may yet be a factor in deciding the big prize.

They showed a never-say-die attitude and leadership, and that's always a good sign. They've also been handed a huge boost in confidence, which is vital for a young team. They never let up when Mayo came back at them; the one thing a manager wants to see is players working for each other, and Galway did that.

It's another blow for Mayo to find themselves back in the qualifiers, but John O'Mahony's job is to keep heads up. This is still a useful Mayo team that can improve as a result of this, and so I don't think we've seen the last of them for this year.