By the time Niall Murphy had put Sligo's first score on the board, just before the 10 minute mark, Mayo had their 46th Connacht title well under wraps, having scored 2-4 of their own. Mayo's frantic work rate and total domination of Sligo's own kick-out was the foundation to that start. They never gave Sligo an inch to breathe in the early exchanges and forced Aidan Devaney into a risky kick-out strategy that was ultimately fatal for the game. We take a look at where those scores came from below.
Mayo 0-1 Sligo 0-0
Keith Higgins forced Adrian Marren to foul the ball 45m out from the Sligo goal. Aidan O'Shea quickly found Cillian O'Connor with the free and the Ballintubber man kicked the first score of the game.
Mayo 1-1 Sligo 0-0
From Mayo's own kick-out after a Sligo wide, David Clarke found Diarmuid O'Connor who moved the ball on to Seamus O'Shea who transferred it on to Tom Parsons. The ball was then worked through Aidan O'Shea and Jason Doherty who slotted in Cillian O'Connor who drove the ball to the net.
Mayo 1-2 Sligo 0-0
From the kick-out after O'Connor's goal, Tom Parsons won the ball, he played it to Diarmuid O'Connor who created the space to fire over his first point of the game.
Mayo 2-2 Sligo 0-0
Seamus O'Shea turned over the ball from Keelan Cawley, after a short Sligo free out given against Aidan O'Shea. Seamus played a one-two with his brother and was in the clear driving the ball to the back of the net.
Mayo 2-3 Sligo 0-0
On the kick-out from O'Shea's goal, Lee Keegan broke the ball to Tom Parsons who combined with Aidan O'Shea, and he found Diarmuid O'Connor who scored his second point of the day.
Mayo 2-4 Sligo 0-0
Tom Parsons again won the ball from a Sligo man, the ball was moved through Andy Moran, back to Parsons and to Cillian O'Connor who picked out Aidan O'Shea. The big Breaffy man was fouled and O'Connor converted the close range free to put Mayo 10 clear before 10 minutes were gone.
Mayo kept up their work rate over the next hour scoring another 4-21. But it was their early hard pressing on the Sligo defence which had shown in their victory against Roscommon that they needed to work the ball short from their own kick-out to have any chance of retaining possession. By the time Diarmuid O'Connor had scored his second point in the sixth minute, Mayo had won the ball back from Sligo on four occasions from the five of their own kick-outs, while winning both of the two they had themselves.
