Mayo's teak tough centre-back Colm Boyle laid down an early marker in Sunday's contest with a almighty hit on Galway's Damien Comer in the first half. The Davitts’ man was happy to get the win and told the Mayo Advertiser after the game there was still lots for his side to improve on ahead of the All Ireland quarter-final “It was a strange game, we started fairly well, got into the game, and Lee's goal settled us a small bit. But we maybe dropped the tempo and Galway missed a few opportunities at the start of the second half. We were a bit dead and they came out well in the second half.”
While they got out of MacHale Park with the win, some of their play in the second half could see them more severely punished later, he also said. “I suppose some of our general play in the second half might not have been great, we got a few scores when we needed, but we were a bit slow coming out with the ball at times and Galway turned us over a few times. That's something that we won't get away with in Croke Park and we'll have to try and improve on.”
But getting a more serious examination this year in Connacht will be more beneficial to them than the canter they had in the province last year, he hopes. “We're just happy as long as we're winning, you can't please everybody, if you go out and win by 20 points some people will say it's too easy, it was a good result and we're delighted to get the win and back to Croke Park in three weeks time.” And as for that hit on Comer, Boyle said: “Ah, you know, I don't think it was a free, but you might get one again that'll go for me.”
Boyle's team-mate Cillian O'Connor was also in a positive mood after the final whistle. “Brilliant to get out with the win and another Connacht title after a couple of hard games here and in the Hyde. Job done is the way we'd look at it,” was how the two time young footballer of the year reacted after the game. This year’s Connacht championship has been more of a test for Mayo, and that can only push them on going into the rest of the summer. He went on to say: “We got a scare, we were expecting it against Roscommon with the players they have and the shape their team are in, and we had to show character towards the end and maybe got the rub of the green and came through it. It was the same today and the score-line might flatter us a small bit, had things gone a bit different it could have been a far tighter game so we're just delighted to get the win.” He also said: “I think when you have to push yourself and show character at the end of games it's something that you hope will stand to you when you're in a similar position in other games. Nothing is going to be handed to you in Croker and the character and disciple we showed there will stand to us.”
O'Connor's vision in picking out Lee Keegan for Mayo's first goal was one of the moments of the game, and the young Ballintubber star gave his team-mate a gentle ribbing in his recollection of the goal. “Lee is very, very, loud when he's coming through and he was screaming in a high pitched voice coming through, you can't miss him. I was thinking I was going to put this over and I heard him screaming in a girl’s voice, so I popped it off to him, you can't miss him and mistake his high pitched voice.”
