Does anybody else feel like Sunday will never get here?

That Mayo are out of sight and out of mind?

And that there seems to be more talk about the weather, Love Island and the price of cattle than there is about the match against Monaghan?

It’s hard to recall such a subdued and drawn-out build-up to a big championship match involving the county footballers, but hopefully the hangover from the Roscommon game has long since worn off and we can get back to the business of ‘going again’.

Updates from challenge matches against Limerick, Meath and Kildare kept us ticking over there for a while, (even though we never did get to find out who was wing-back against the Lilywhites!), and we even got to see some of the county lads playing for their clubs in a league game.

But there’s nothing better than the real thing, especially after that ‘false start’ against the Rossies five weeks ago.

Just think of all that’s happened in the championship since the hooter sounded in Castlebar on April 26th to put Mayo out of their misery.

Galway’s ‘drive for five’ Nestor Cups in a row was ended by our noisy neighbours, who were subsequently brought back down to earth by Tyrone last Sunday.

Westmeath are living the life that Mayo can only dream of at the moment after winning the Leinster title for just the second time in the history of the GAA world.

And the likes of Donegal, Armagh and Kerry are jostling for position at the front of the All-Ireland pack with Galway still being talked about as ‘dark horses’, despite the fact they have been knocking around at the business end of affairs for five seasons now.

As for Mayo? They are currently the forgotten men of the summer.

There was a time when you couldn’t walk down a GAA road without somebody asking you about Mayo’s chances and the mood in the county around this time of the year.

But one of the things about being on the road with GAA+ again this summer is that you end up talking football (and hurling) most of the time — which isn’t a bad job if you can get it, to be fair!

The funny thing is though that, apart from constantly being asked about Kobe — ‘What’s he like?’ ‘Will he definitely go to Australia?’ ‘How’s he fixed for The Leavin’ Cert?’ — there has hardly been a mention of all things Mayo.

Some of the hot topics, in case you’re wondering, are things like: Armagh’s athleticism and ability to run up cricket scores, along with Kieran McGeeney’s captivating interviews; Mark McHugh’s manic energy that makes Andy Moran seem subdued; Roscommon’s ‘Grand Slam’ of Connacht titles across minor, Under-20 and senior; and the schmozzle in Killarney last weekend, of course.

This Sunday is Mayo’s opportunity to get back into the conversation.

A win over Monaghan would propel them into Round 2A of the All-Ireland series for a game against the likes of Donegal, Tyrone, Cork or Galway.

A second defeat in a row would leave them looking at a straight knock-out championship match against someone like Kerry, Roscommon, Meath or Kildare. To mention just a few.

We can be sure that Monaghan will come out all guns blazing on Sunday, especially after being mowed down by Mayo three months ago in the league.

Gabriel Bannigan’s team are unrecognisable now from that game. They are also battle-hardened and emboldened after beating Derry and running Armagh close in two extra-time marathons in Ulster.

In the likes of Rory Beggan, Ryan Wylie, Dessie Ward, Conor McCarthy, Stephen O’Hanlon and Jack McCarron they have footballers who are proven performers. Plus, they are on home ground in Clones, and with a point to prove.

All the signs are that Andy Moran will pick a different team this time around, and he will need the lads who have been here before to lead this out.

On paper, there is no reason why Mayo won’t win this game and get their season back on track.

Rob Hennelly, Jack Coyne, Paddy Durcan, Sam Callinan, David McBrien, Conor Loftus, Aidan O’Shea and Ryan O’Donoghue are all top-class footballers. They also make up the majority of the squad’s leadership group. 

They will need to talk the talk and walk the walk on Sunday.

If that happens, and Mayo win, you can expect to hear more about the team that everybody loves to talk about next week.