Will the return of one Mayo great lead to another?

Cillian O’Connor is Mayo’s measuring stick for forward play, the man whose presence changes how teams defend and how colleagues think about taking responsibility.

Andy Moran and Cillian O’Connor during the 2017 championship. Will they reunite for the Mayo cause? Pic: James Crombie/Inpho

THERE is cautious hope in Mayo this week, the kind that sits somewhere between relief and restraint. It’s not the pyrotechnic optimism of a county who have just wiped away a long drought; it is steadier, quieter — a practical, hand-to-the-plough faith in a familiar face.

Andy Moran’s nomination as Mayo senior men’s manager closes one search and opens another, and for a county used to swinging between yearning and realism, his appointment reads like a sensible exhale.