When Páraic Duffy sat back in his chair and dreamed up the idea of the Super 8s, sun-kissed days like Sunday in Killarney between two evenly matched teams in front of a sell-out crowd must surely have been his wild

Unlike 12 months ago, Kerry got their Super 8 campaign off to a roaring start with this annihilation of Mayo.

A Roscommon player amused himself on Friday by sending me a friendly message to enjoy myself at the Connacht Senior ‘B’ final!

Mayo manager James Horan said he and his team can’t wait to face Kerry in Fitzgerald Stadium in their opening Super 8 game.

Mayo arrested a seven-game losing run against their neighbours with this wire-to-wire victory that sees them face Kerry in Killarney in their opening Super 8 game tomorrow week.

Collateral damage or a typically tigerish season? This evening’s all-or-nothing duel with a county they have not beaten in five league and championship games will go a long way to defining Mayo’s 2019.

Mayo manager James Horan has made three changes for their Connacht Senior Football Championship semi-final against Roscommon on Saturday.

Mayo captain Diarmuid O'Connor has missed out on the Mayo team for their Championship opener in New York.

Mayo 3-11 Kerry 2-10

The sight of thousands of Mayo young supporters on the field at MacHale Park after yesterday’s win over Monaghan was a timely reminder of just how popular the county’s footballers have become in recent years.

Mayo 3-15 Monaghan 1-18

The chance of claiming a first national title in 18 years is not to be sniffed at but in the event Mayo do fall short of reaching the final tomorrow James Horan seems satisfied with what he has learned from their Division 1 exploits.

The sight of some supporters streaming out of MacHale Park at half-time on Saturday night told its own story.

James Horan wants to make history in his second stint as Mayo manager but little did he think that a nugget of it would come in his first match back as they advanced to a FBD League semi-final showdown with Galway on the back of a penalty shootout.

These are players to be admired and celebrated, not pitied, says Paul Rouse.

Former Mayo forward John Casey is praying his county beat Galway on Sunday — but isn’t sure a third straight Connacht SFC defeat to their neighbours would effectively mean the end of their championship.

Mayo manager Stephen Rochford doesn’t see Lee Keegan being involved in their Connacht quarter-final against Galway on May 13, but stopped short of conclusively ruling him out.

Reigning Footballer of the Year Andy Moran has admitted he acted out of character when he remonstrated with referee Maurice Deegan last month and says he was “disappointed” with his actions.

Poor decision making invariably leads to poor results.

This will and should sting Ireland for some time to come.

Like their last two All-Ireland final clashes, champions Dublin have pipped Mayo by one in the 2017 PwC All-Stars, picking up seven to Mayo’s six.

Cork's Sean Powter and Niall Grimley of Armagh have been confirmed as the final two tourists for the upcoming International Rules series.

Joe Kernan has admitted that the long-term future of the International Rules series remains uncertain, but the Ireland manager believes the concept remains popular among players and can flourish if arrangements are tweaked.

For the first time in the history of the PwC All-Stars, there are four candidates for the footballer of the year including two goalkeepers, David Clarke and Stephen Cluxton, writes John Fogarty.

For the first time in the history of the PwC All-Stars, there are four candidates for the footballer of the year including two goalkeepers, David Clarke and Stephen Cluxton.

Pat Spillane and Eamonn O'Hara join Clare MacNamara to discuss an amazing All-Ireland final as Dublin made it three in a row.

The Leaving Certificate results were delivered yesterday. Much debate and fanfare mixed with smiles and tears were shared, no doubt, across the country.

Eleven years after delivering a Footballer of the Year season almost out of nowhere and destroying Mayo in an All-Ireland final, the same question is being asked about Kieran Donaghy — who do Mayo have that is capable of marking him?

Mayo fatigue is being experienced across the country but this team doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. That belligerence has to be respected yet the question is, can they transform doughtiness into dominance? John Fogarty looks at the arguments for and against.

Mayo 1-19 Roscommon 0-14: Time will tell just how much anybody learned about the long-term prospects of either of these teams based on how this Connacht derby unfolded in Castlebar on Saturday night.

Mayo boss Stephen Rochford will have to plan without Alan Freeman for the foreseeable future as the talented forward has left the squad.

For the first time since the inception of individual hurler and footballer of the year prizes in 1995, the two winners at last night’s ceremony in Dublin’s Convention Centre came from counties which hadn’t won the All-Ireland in either code.