The contrast couldn’t be starker. Of their 26-man panel that travelled to Roscommon last Sunday, 11 Kerry players have yet to lose a national final in Croke Park.

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.

Mike Casey is named at full-back on the Limerick team for tomorrow’s Munster SHC clash with Cork, the sole change to the side which overcame Tipperary.

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

There’s a school of thought that Chris Barrett should have been named man-of-the-match in last year’s All-Ireland football final.

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.

Although it wasn’t widely identified as a trend — more reported as a series of unrelated events — an intriguing development in 2017 was the signing by the managers of the country’s top four football teams to stay on until 2020, writes Kieran Shannon.

Table-toppers Dublin continued their relentless march through this Allianz League campaign with a routine victory over beaten All-Ireland finalists Mayo in Castlebar.

Fermanagh moved up to second place in the Division Three standings — just behind leaders Armagh on score difference — followed their win over a dogged Sligo (0-13 to 0-8) at Markievicz Park.

UCD 1-13 NUI Galway 2-9: Tipperary's Liam Casey emerged as UCD's last action hero at Santry Avenue where the Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup final favourites eventually edged an epic encounter.

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.

Enda Varley had his nose broken off the ball in the 2012 semi-final meeting of Mayo and Dublin and also played in the 2013 final. Gone from the county scene, he has since slipped behind enemy lines, playing his club football with St Vincent’s. Kieran Shannon discovers how he’s grown to appreciate his new surroundings and respect teammates like Diarmuid Connolly, but also sees a rivalry between his two homes slipping out of control

Sligo ran riot in the second half against 14-man Antrim at Markievicz Park to take a comfortable All-Ireland SFC Round 1A Qualifier win.

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.

Sligo survived a brief but real scare in the Bronx tonight before their experience and class told late on to see off a spirited New York.

Few Allianz Football Leagues have provided more excitement. Fewer still have unearthed so much developing talent. John Fogarty picks the 10 standouts who’ve announced themselves this spring.

Sigerson Cup Final 

Stephen Coen had little doubt Mayo people would travel in such numbers to support the team in Tralee on Saturday.

Allianz FL Division 1

Dublin 1-15 Mayo 1-14: In the battle of pragmatism and poetry, there was only going to be one winner. And Dublin it was.

London 0-9 Mayo 2-16: Mayo scored a comprehensive victory over London in a Connacht SFC quarter-final that only offered rare glimpses of the seismic home performance of 2011.

Mayo manager Stephen Rochford says Cillian O’Connor’s natural leadership skills meant he was always destined to skipper his county.

Mayo 5-7 Cork 1-14: An hour and a half after Stephen Coen lifted the Clarke Cup, he and his team-mates were back on the field to mingle with friends and family.

Mayo 1-15 Dublin 1-14: These Mayo lads have an awful tendency to make life as hard as possible on themselves.

There was late drama at today's EirGrid All-Ireland U21 football semi-final between Mayo and Dublin at O’Connor Park in Tullamore.

The chief protagonists in Mayo’s 2013 minor success made a conscious decision in the days and weeks after delivering the county’s first All-Ireland at that grade in 28-years; they vowed, on and off the field, to stick together.

St. Josephs Miltown bridged a 25-year gap to capture the Clare SFC, defeating Cooraclare by four points in the decider at Cusack Park today.