Reclaiming Connacht crown ‘huge’ motivation for Mayo

Cillian O’Connor admits the pain of losing to Galway in Castlebar last summer will ensure Mayo are suitably fired-up when when they host Sligo in their Connacht SFC opener on Sunday week.

Last year’s All-Ireland finalists will be red-hot favourites to advance to a provincial semi-final with champions Galway in Salthill.

Expectation in the county has been dampened following the loss of their Connacht title and an indifferent league campaign, but O’Connor insists the players will not be distracted by such statistics.