Even Mayo’s last All-Ireland final opponents that weren’t Dublin, Donegal in 2012, provided that western seaboard-emigration theme to hone in on and the shared links between the counties. Tyrone’s only All-Ireland final appearance that wasn’t against either Dublin or Kerry was against Armagh which, with the rivalry they share in Ulster, was a huge novelty in itself. So many of the current Tyrone team have their roots in the 2015 All-Ireland U-21-winning team that Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher also jointly managed. And by extending Mayo’s gap to their last game by four weeks it felt like it would be to their advantage too. They may not acknowledge it now but those extra two weeks could be the unlikely difference that gets Mayo over the line at last.

Source: Irish Independent September 07, 2021 01:35 UTC