Stephen Rochford and Mayo have time as a friend for replay

Since the final whistle of last Sunday’s chaotic and compelling All-Ireland final, there’s been a consensus that Jim Gavin’s Dublin will automatically be better in the replay. 

There’s a validity to that theory and it’s one this column happens to share but the other side of that which is not so commonly shared is that Stephen Rochford’s Mayo are bound to be better too.

That is probably the most telling dynamic about where this tie and pairing are now. Instead of viewing last Sunday as a glorious opportunity missed as some of their critics and more fatalistic supporters will, the Mayo set-up itself will see it as an opportunity won.