Rochford believes geographical split is taking toll on Mayo

These treacle-slow championship starts of Mayo’s are not a new phenomenon.

Although Stephen Rochford has guided them to just one win in four Connacht outings, there was the one-point scrape past Roscommon in 2014 and two years before that the extra-time scare in Ruislip.

The reasons have long been cited: As a camp geographically split between Mayo and Dublin, the opportunity for cohesive and meaningful training is not as easy as it would be in counties like Dublin, Cork, and Kerry.