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Mayo manager Peter Leahy cannot be accused of not trawling far and wide to give players an opportunity to stake their claim for a spot in his side for the championship this summer.

Another Sunday in Croke Park and another heart-breaking defeat for Mayo against Dublin in an All Ireland final. This time it was the Mayo Ladies who came up short against the Dubs’ who ran out 4-11 to 0-11 winners against a battling and brave Mayo team.

Ten years since they last graced Croke Park on All Ireland final day, the Mayo Ladies seniors are back in the big house for a crack at a fifth All Ireland title and their first since 2003. The last time that Mayo won the All Ireland they faced Dublin in the final and squeaked through in a very low scoring encounter on a score of 1-4 to 0-5, but this Sunday's meeting will be a far higher scoring encounter.

Mayo made their way back into the All Ireland final for the first time in ten years with a performance that was forged in self-belief, heart, brilliant skill and a determination to not suffer the same fate as befell them last year when they were pipped at the post by Dublin in the same venue.

The Mayo Ladies go looking to make it back to the All Ireland semifinal tomorrow afternoon - when they take on one of the most improving sides in the country - Donegal.

It was third time lucky for the Mayo Ladies last weekend, when they picked up their first win of this year's National Football League with a 3-14 to 0-18 win over Armagh in Clonmore. Mayo will be hoping that five point win will kick start their league campaign up a few gears, following defeats to Galway and Monaghan in the opening two rounds of the competiton.

Last weekend saw the Mayo Ladies' senior side open their account in the National Football League this season with a defeat registered against them, but in the grand scheme of things, with the confirmation that Cora Staunton, Yvonne Byrne, and Martha Carter would be committing to another season in the green and red coming late last week, the result will be forgotten quickly enough.

“At half time we said we’d nothing to lose and to just go out there and have a go” Mayo manger Frank Browne said in the immediate aftermath of his sides heart breaking All Ireland semi-final loss in Cavan on Saturday night.

It will be six weeks since Mayo last took to the field in competitive action in the Connacht final against Galway this weekend. The long lay off is nothing new for this bunch of ladies, who had a similar layoff after their league final defeat to Cork before their championship opener against the Tribeswomen. Going into both of those games Mayo were the underdogs, but on Saturday afternoon they are warm favourites to book their place in the last four of the All Ireland series against beaten Leinster finalists Westmeath.

Hard work, determination and belief along with a fair chunk of skill was what won the day for Mayo in MacHale Park on Sunday afternoon as they claimed their first Connacht senior title in six years with a stunning display against Galway. Mayo manager Frank Browne couldn’t hide the delight with the effort his side put in speaking after the game he told us “It was probably a fair result it was probably touch and go there, early in the first ten to 15 minutes in the first half it took us a while to settle, but then our power and our physicality, our tackling and our hunger took over. But you know what after being beaten four years in a row if you’re not hungry today, you’re coming to the wrong place, all the 50/50 balls all the really tight ones we won. I’d love the people to know just how good a group of people these people are, they are good honest, decent Mayo people and they just so, so wanted this. They ran their legs to stumps out there you know, we got very tired in the last ten minutes you can enjoy it.”