Horan’s charges primed for the big leap forward

The word “we” is an important one for Mayo right now. When James Horan uses “we” he means it. Listen to his radio and TV interviews in the build-up to tomorrow and you can hear the emphasis when he uses it.

There are managers who utter it without conviction but Horan says it with absolute authority. Everyone who is on board, and that includes the late return of Rob Hennelly, is on message. The bond that exists in the camp is the strongest it’s ever been. From the night they lost to Donegal last September, they swore to get back to another All-Ireland final.

Of course, when Horan says “we” he means his men, both in front of him on the pitch and behind him on the line, but there’s the other “we”, which is the county. This is a team for supporters to be proud of, one which they are keen to take ownership of.