After a brilliant opening weekend that saw New York come within an inch of history, the Connacht Championship serves up one of the most eagerly anticipated opening quarter-finals in quite some time this weekend as Mayo face Galway in MacHale Park.
There were fireworks both times the counties played each other earlier this year in the FBD League and Allianz League, with Galway edging it both times and as far as former Tyrone All-Ireland winner Sean Cavanagh is concerned this Mayo team's time is coming to an end.
Speaking on the Sunday Game preview show, Cavanagh claimed a battle-weary Mayo will struggle this year.
They have been on the road. I know they we say it every year but for a long time now they remind me of the team that we had in 2010, 2011. Where they are capable of a big performance, they are capable of going and winning next week, but they have an awful lot of uncertainties about them. They have an awful lot of injuries, men that have an awful lot of miles in the legs. Galway have that freshness, that energy. That X factor. Galway have the momentum. Mayo are reliant on an awful lot of things aligning next weekend. If they don't align, it is a long road back. Even if they do make it to the Super Eights, it is going to really test their panel. Whether they have the legs to progress this year...
Cavanagh went on to declare he does not see a way back should they lose the tie and later in the show did not pick Mayo in his Super Eight predictions.
I don't Des. I feel they were lucky to get through the qualifiers series last year. They had a fairly weak league albeit with some injuries and disruptions to their team. I just feel we are starting to see the end of the road of this great Mayo side.
