You need a thick skin in this game. Analysing football, and playing it.

As Conor Mortimer said earlier this week, the needle between Dublin and Mayo started back in 2006 with Warm-up-gate.

There were three moments of Gavin Duffy’s Gaelic football that always stood out.

Sixty-nine minutes had passed in the All-Ireland semi-final between Dublin and Kerry when Michael Darragh Maculey launched himself at a breaking ball in midfield with a move more akin to one seen in basketball.

Michael Darragh Macauley believes his years of playing basketball at schools and club level have played an important part in making him the All-Ireland and All-Star-winning Gaelic footballer he is today.

James Waldron was in a tight spot.

He remembers his last moments in a Mayo jersey like it was yesterday.

He says not hugely religious but when Andy Moran’s sister came home from a trip to Lourdes last week with a special wristband for him, he couldn’t help but wish she had done it a month earlier.

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness took his team to the opulent Carton House in Co Kildare yesterday to escape the growing hype within the county.

As opening statements go this was as impressive as it could get from Mayo as they cruised into yet another Connacht SFC final at their leisure in Castlebar yesterday.

Mayo 4-20 Leitrim 0-10

Mayo manager James Horan has named two debutants in his team to face Leitrim in Sunday's Connacht SFC semi-final at Elverys McHale Park (throw-in 3.30pm).

Wicklow star Ciarán Hyland is a doubt for the Garden County’s All-Ireland qualifier against Waterford on June 30 after sustaining an injury while supporting the Republic of Ireland in the European Championships.

Former captain Ronan McGarrity’s return to inter-county action and three goals from Jason Doherty were the big stories in Ballaghaderreen yesterday where Mayo trounced Westmeath in a challenge.

MAYO boss James Horan may be without three players for the start of the Allianz Football League.

Midfield

READING much into Mayo and Kerry’s last championship meeting is a tricky operation, given the massive changes the Connacht side has undergone.

WHILE Mayo manager James Horan spent yesterday sweating over the fitness of his players, the Mayo club championship threw up a couple of big surprises.

Mayo manager James Horan has made two personnel changes for Sunday's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final against Cork at Croke Park (throw-in 4pm).

MAYO manager James Horan is relishing the prospect of next Sunday’s clash with Cork and is calling on his squad to go “toe-to-toe” with the All-Ireland champions.

IT has been a miserable week for Roscommon.

As expected, Mayo manager James Horan has named an unchanged team for Sunday's Connacht SFC final against Roscommon at Dr Hyde Park (throw-in 2pm).

Roscommon manager Fergal O'Donnell has talked up Connacht final opponents Mayo, dubbing them 'one of the top five or six teams in the country.'

Mayo manager James Horan is due to announce his team tonight for Sunday's Connacht SFC final against Roscommon at Dr Hyde Park.

CONNACHT GAA chiefs are preparing the ‘full house’ signs ahead of Sunday’s provincial football final between Mayo and Roscommon at Hyde Park.

Things looked grim for Mayo when Paul Conroy poked the ball home for a Galway goal just before half-time in yesterday's Connacht SFC semi-final in Castlebar.

THIS GAME, either with boot or pen, has led me to many wonderful, exhilarating and uplifting games of Gaelic football.

RARELY in the long and storied history of this age-old rivalry has the result been so important at such a relatively early stage in the season.

Mayo 1-12 Galway 1-06

Seamus and Aidan O'Shea will form a new-look midfielder partnership for Mayo in Sunday's Connacht SFC semi-final against Galway in Castlebar (throw-in 2pm).

Galway manager Tomás O Flatharta will be without the services of forward Sean Armstrong for next week's Connacht SFC semi-final against Mayo.

INJURED Mayo midfielder Ronan McGarrity returned to training with the county squad last night, less than two weeks before the Connacht SFC semi-final showdown with Galway.

Jason Doherty, one of Mayo's most impressive performers during the recent Allianz Football League, will make his first Championship start in the county's Connacht SFC opener against London.

MAYO’S experienced midfielder Ronan McGarrity is rated as ‘very doubtful’ for Sunday’s Allianz Division 1 league match against All-Ireland champions Cork after injuring his leg in training.

AN early goal and a strong finish proved decisive for Armagh as they capped their first ever visit to McHale Park, Castlebar with a crucial victory after a frantic Allianz National League tussle.

Mayo 1-10 Armagh 2-10

YOU know that a team is being utterly humiliated when the opposition manager starts taking off many of his best performers with ten minutes remaining.

Galway 0-12 Mayo 2-14

JACK O’CONNOR suggested the decisive penalty might have been poetic justice for misdemeanours against Kerry in Tralee last Sunday week.

Mayo 0-8 Kerry 1-9

THERE were very mixed emotions around both dressing-rooms in the aftermath of an entertaining, dramatic stalemate which unfolded under the floodlights at a rain-soaked McHale Park, Castlebar on Saturday night.

Mayo 1-13 Down 3-07

A MASSIVE clash in the last 15 minutes between captains, Trevor Mortimer and Charlie Harrison, epitomised the difference between their respective Mayo and Sligo sides on Saturday evening.

Sligo 0-15 Mayo 1-8

In selecting his team to face Sligo in Saturday's Connacht SFC first round clash, Mayo manager John O'Mahony has made five changes to the side that disappointed against Cork in the NFL Division 1 final.

MAYO boss John O’Mahony has dropped full-forward Aidan O’Shea as he hands out four championship debuts and makes five changes in personnel from the NFL Division 1 final loss to Cork, for Saturday’s Connacht SFC quarter-final against Sligo in Markievicz Park.

Mayo manager John O'Mahony has kept faith with the same team that started the win over Cork two weeks ago, confident that they can do the business against the same opposition in Sunday's Allianz NFL Division 1 final at Croke Park (throw-in 4pm).

KERRY GAA chiefs have described Colm Cooper’s eye surgery as ‘successful’ and expect the All-Ireland winner to return to training in the near future.

A DECISION on whether the winners of Sunday week’s dead-rubber NHL Division One tie between Galway and Cork will be awarded home advantage for the league decider between the counties on May 1 is unlikely to be made until next week.