Oisín McConville: The questions Mayo players have still to answer

Mayo find the cupboards bare this summer when it comes to sympathy. So why has the annual goodwill evaporated? Nothing erodes goodwill more than a player revolt. Just ask the Cork hurlers, some of whom are still vilified for their role in the demise of the county’s fortunes.

When players feel strong enough to go to these lengths to get rid of a management team, obviously there is something not right in their eyes. The shocking thing is that none of these reasons have been publicised and the matter was put to bed with great haste. The vacuum has been filled with the ifs, buts, and maybes of the situation. Could it be that this group were challenged in a way they had not experienced previously and that certain players were uncomfortable with this approach?

In the meantime, Mayo have settled pretty well with a new management set-up led by Stephen Rochford, who may be blameless in this episode but must still pick up the pieces from the debacle. Those scars were all too apparent at the start of the league.