Kevin McStay’s side are probably not All-Ireland contenders, but been playing well enough to expect a better showing from supporters
, one of the last players from either side to make good his escape from the selfie jungle out on the grass. He stopped on his way to the dressingroom to shake hands with Kevin McStay and the pair of them shared a laugh and wished each other well the rest of the way.
But of course, Mayo don’t get a free pass on anything. It is their curse and their blessing that everything has to be hard-earned, including, latterly, the fealty of their support base. They had, at a guess, about half of the 16,870 support that paid through the gate in the Hyde last Sunday. If their performance did nothing else, we can be damn sure it guaranteed more than 8,000-odd Mayo fans in Castlebar tonight.“They’ve restored my faith!” said one Mayo man I ran into this week.
Plenty of teams have ceilings — and god knows Mayo have bumped against theirs on countless occasions in full view of the watching world. But they have also proven time and again that they are one of the few who have a floor. This is the Mayo paradox. They are the butt of so many jokes precisely because they always haul themselves back into contention eventually. Other teams bubble up and disappear, licking their wounds in private and gathering themselves for another push. Mayo fix the train while laying the track in front of themselves and keep chugging along regardless.
They have Derry now, which was the draw they probably didn’t want. They’re playing at teatime on Saturday, which they definitely didn’t want. But they’re finding a rhythm and they’re still in there pitching, for another weekend at least.
Mayo-Gaa Football-Championship Jack-Mccaffrey
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