Two key members of past Mayo football management teams have painted a revealing portrait of a ‘phenomenal’ group of men whose crucial attributes are their ordinariness and thirst for information.

The group-deciding Super 8 encounter this evening in Castlebar has the potential to be explosive, a real old-style knockout championship game. There is no love lost between Mayo and Donegal dating back to the now infamous challenge game in 2012 and there are a lot of ifs, buts, and maybes making it a hard game to call.

Patience will be a virtue for Mayo against Donegal in their Super 8 encounter at MacHale Park on Saturday evening, according to Alan Dillon.

You could cut the tension with a knife. Everyone was on edge wondering how would the fun-loving, stone-mad GAA fan handle the windswept conditions in Portrush.

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

There was no shortage of drama or excitement in Castlebar as the All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers served up a thriller with Mayo doing just enough to book their place in the next round.

New York manager Justin O’Halloran says a way must be found for the Exiles to play more competitive matches each year.

Mayo got their 2019 championship campaign off to an impressive start with a facile win at Gaelic Park against a New York side who were outclassed.

The Ballintubber clubman made his championship debut against New York in 2014 and crowned the occasion with a goal as they cruised to a 4-18 to 0-8 win.

Ahead of last Sunday’s league final on the always-entertaining GAA Hour podcast, Steven McDonnell and Colm Parkinson came from contrasting schools of thought when it came to predicting a winner.

If Mayo supporters didn’t see their lives of final anguish flashing before their eyes as Stephen O’Brien squared the ball for David Clifford in the first minute of additional time then they are lying.

It turned out to be an exhilarating, exciting, and excellent game of football did this Allianz Division One decider between Mayo and Kerry.

David Clifford is in line to make his first start for Kerry this season as he is named in the full-forward line in tomorrow’s final round Division 1 game in Roscommon.

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.

Mayo midfielder Seamus O’Shea is set to miss the remainder of the season having yesterday undergone surgery on his shoulder.

Here’s five talking points from this weekend’s Senior Football Championship.

Mayo 1-19 Tipperary 1-11

It was, without doubt, one of the poorest games of football between these two great rivals in living memory. 

Mayo 0-12 Galway 1-12

Not since 1998 and 1999 has there been this much fanfare about Connacht championship games, writes John Divilly

The game panned out along expected lines with Dublin racking up another routine victory, and Jim Gavin stuck to a familiar script afterwards when he spoke to reporters.

Galway 1-13 Mayo 0-11: The year is but a pup but already after two meetings between the old protagonists in the west, six players have been sent off and two victories for Galway against the All-Ireland finalists. 

UCD manager John Divilly said that his Kerry midfield pairing of Jack Barry and Barry O’Sullivan have all the attributes to develop into a superb midfielder partnership who could do a great job for the Kingdom.

Monaghan 0-12 Mayo 0-13: One point sourced from a disputed free was all that separated Monaghan and Mayo in Clones yesterday and Malachy O’Rourke was of the opinion that his men may have edged it had the crest on their chests been different.

An injury-time point from Paddy Durcan earned Mayo a hard-earned two league points in Clones on Sunday against a Monaghan side that ended the afternoon with just 12 players on the pitch.

What did the recent awards events tell us asks John Fogarty

Two of the best and most consistent club sides in Connacht, went toe to toe in Tuam Stadium yesterday. Corofin produced the best and stylish football, yet they once again had to go extra-time to finish the job. Why do they make it hard on themselves, asks John Divilly.

Castlebar Mitchels 0-15 Ballintubber 0-13: It was no surprise to hear the Castlebar Mitchels squad described as a “phenomenal bunch of men” after winning their third successive Mayo SFC title yesterday on home ground at MacHale Park.

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

EACH time an inter-county manager watches his side take the field, it’s like he’s back at school sitting an exam that can only produce two possible results. Either he wins, or he was wrong.

Judgment on Mayo will wait three weeks, though Heaven knows why. It’s not as if their defiance, determination and desperation is at issue.

John Divilly believes Lee Keegan should start at midfield in Saturday’s replay as he has the mobility to counteract likely Kerry starter Jack Barry.

Mayo are facing into their 10th All-Ireland semi-final in the last seven years as Paddy Durcan added another heroic chapter to the book of Mayo draws.

Ray Silke looks at the factors that will decide today’s All-Ireland quarter-final replay

Mayo 1-12 - Roscommon 2-09: Both Mayo and Roscommon’s All-Ireland ambitions will survive for another week.

It is to O’Shea’s immense credit that in the face of constant provocation he has not succumbed to being a reactor, says Kieran Shannon

It was the toughest draw they could have got, goalkeeper Joe Hayes concedes. No mind, though. Such is Clare’s rising graph, they’re not unduly fazed by Mayo’s impending visit.