Mayo can never be written off
EVEN though time and again the folly of reading into early season results is exposed, people are slow on the uptake.
Mayo’s defeat to Kerry last weekend has ensured that the old argument that the All-Ireland finalists don’t have the quality or the depth to sustain a follow-up run for Sam Maguire has resurfaced.
It must be all of, oh, eight months when that theory was trotted out as they stumbled through the qualifiers and we know how that panned out.
Mayo are notorious slow starters in the spring, but they always do what they have to do.
So let’s dismiss with the notion that they need to win in Salthill today or they will be in relegation trouble.
No, their reason for wanting to win today will be more primal in nature, not least for Stephen Rochford who is still waiting for his first victory over the Tribesmen.
In a way, Galway are ripe for the taking. After winning their opening two games they are now close to the safety threshold which may see them relax a little.
And facing this Mayo group, when they are nurturing any kind of grudge, ensures you need to have a warrior mindset to have a chance.
A Mayo win will remind Galway of that truth.