Considering how promising they looked at times this year, being eliminated from All-Ireland contention before the quarter-final stage must be a massive source of frustration for Mayo.
They entered Saturday's game against Derry as favourites, and while they did not perform to their best, they did put themselves into an excellent position to get the win. However, their failure to hold onto their one-point lead in injury time would ultimately prove to be fatal.
Derry would manage to get that last gasp equaliser through Chrissy McKaigue, before going on to win the game via penalties. This was a big victory for the Ulster side on the back of their struggles during this summer's championship, but it does leave some major question marks surrounding this Mayo team.
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Michael Murphy identifies weakness that is holding Mayo back
Mayo have been a side in transition over the last couple of years, with Kevin McStay attempting to blood some promising young players to go along with the more established members of the panel. They also changed their tactical plan somewhat in 2024, employing a more measured approach while on the attack.
However, some feel that they are lacking the tools to make this game plan an effective one.
Writing in the Irish Times, Michael Murphy said that the fact Mayo can only seem to create scoring opportunities through powerful running is something that is holding the team back in the final third.
Mayo tend to play like battering rams, running in straight lines, but when you’re looking to pick a defensive lock or for a precise pass played in over the blanket to an inside man, they just lack that creativity or guile.
Jordan Flynn had a powerful game in the air and kicked two points but they came from brute-force running lines, which will break Derry down sometimes but you need to ask more intricate questions of a set defence. You need quicker, more incisive passes.
This is something Mayo will need to work on for next season, but for now, they will be left to rue what was a missed opportunity against Derry.
Kevin McStay will be hoping that his side will take a lot from their recent experiences moving forward.
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