Kieran Shannon: Andy Moran and Mayo have earned the right to take the baton

Moran understands that without the near misses of the past, there would have been no All-Ireland glory for Mayo in 2026

Andy Moran absolutely nailed his backroom, including Colm Boyle and Keith Higgins, but also realised that Mayo needed something different, like what Paddy Tally and Paul Durcan could offer. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Páidí, like Jack could on the ground, would have sensed it. Or maybe, with John O’Mahony alongside him looking down from up there, he did.

That again, there was something in the air in Croke Park, something visceral and elemental that not even a splendid Kerry team could defy or deny.