When Mayo rested most of their normal team for the dead-rubber game against Galway a fortnight ago, while the Tribesmen fielded an almost full-strength side, the fact that our lads had run them so close that evening in Tuam Stadium suggested strongly that, when the sides met again in the Connacht semi-final, the outcome was likely to be different.

So it proved at a sun-washed Hastings Insurance MacHale Park this evening as our lads came from a point down at half-time to win by nine clear points. Goals were the difference (literally) between the sides: we got three, they didn’t get any and our lads ran out 3-15 to 0-15 winners.

We had most of the ball in the first half but Galway, playing with the wind, made better use of the more limited supply they had. The visitors kicked three two-pointers into the Albany end while we shot a few bad wides at the other end, butchering three clear goal chances into the bargain as well.

We closed the half with an unanswered 1-1, however, the goal finished to the net by Oran Murphy in a well-worked move. That score, followed by a fisted score by Conor Coghill, sent us in just a point in arrears at half-time.

It took us a while to get going after the break. They had added two points to their tally before Tony Carey – who had a big say in the game in the second half – opened our second half account with a nice point from play six minutes after the restart.

They tacked on another point but Conor Hession then converted two two-point frees in succession – the first one from out at the ’45 – to put us in front for the first time. They hit back with a point, Tony Carey resonded in kind for us and they then levelled again.

From a restart not long after that score we got our second goal. It was the essence of simplicity too, with the breaking ball from a long kick-out won in midfield and a long ball punted inside where Tony Carey won it, created space with a little jink, drove through the opening and planted it in the net.

Now we were motoring. A setback followed, though, when Dara Flanagan was black-carded – which meant we’d see out the remaining few minutes with fourteen players – but, after they pointed a free, we hit the net a third time. This time it was a fine finish by sub Rhys Neary.

We then bagged our third two-point score of the half when Conor Hession shot over from outside the arc. The same player landed his third two-point free soon after, to push us nine clear.

The haul of four two-pointers in this game, by the way, meant that this was by far the best display of two-point shooting by any Mayo team so far this year.

We traded scores before the finish – sub Ben Joyce converting a free for us – and we traded pleasantries deep in injury time too when a bit of argy-bargy broke out briefly. Tempers soon calmed and the final whistle came soon after, with our lads having eased to a comfortable nine-point win.

On the lads go now to the Connacht final in a week’s time. There they’ll face a rematch with unbeaten Roscommon as we chase a Connacht four-in-a-row at this level.

Mayo: Thomas Williams; Conor Coghill (0-1), Barry Langan, Cahair Tighe; Ryan O’Donnell, Declan Duffy, Dara Flanagan; Adam Kelly, Cian May; Patrick Garvey, Ben Holmes, Conor Jordan; Tony Carey (1-3), Conor Hession (0-10, three 2pt frees, one 2pt, two frees), Oran Murphy (1-0). Subs used: Fionn Ó Cinsealla for Murphy, Rhys Neary (1-0) for Garvey, Fiacre Ó Cinsealla for Jordan, Ben Joyce (0-1, free) for Holmes, Eoghan Dever for Duffy.

Our Final Whistle pod from the game is up now on Patreon.