While Mayo were seen as big favourites for their game against Roscommon at the weekend, there was always a sense that the Rossies could pull off the upset in Castlebar.
Kevin McStay's side had been involved in the league final the week before, meaning they had minimal preparation time for the fixture. As well as that, Roscommon also boast a decent recent record against their neighbours in the Connacht championship.
Once the ball was thrown in on Sunday, it was clear that it was going to be a difficult day for the hosts.
While Roscommon were conservative in their approach on the ball, they did bring a huge amount of intensity out of possession. That contrasted with Mayo, who were rather passive and seemed happy to let the opposition build their play relatively unchallenged.
Some believe this may have been a mistake.
Jim McGuinness questions Mayo approach in Roscommon loss
Jim McGuinness is someone who knows how important it is to get the tactical approach right in big championship games, something he feels Mayo came up short on on this occasion.
Writing in his column in the Irish Times, the former Donegal manager said that the result in that game could have been a different one had Mayo pushed up and pressured Roscommon right from the start of the match.
They played with the wind in the first half but immediately on the throw-in, which Roscommon won, Mayo dropped to a half-pitch press. They dropped off Roscommon and got no pressure on the ball.
You were wondering, why are they not going after them really hard here? Forty-four seconds later, with no pressing, no contact, the referee spotted a foul inside and Roscommon got their first score on the board.
On the Roscommon kick out, Mayo pressed hard and were successful. But they are two very different things...
Mayo were waiting for Roscommon, which was perfect for the visitors because that’s exactly what they wanted, away from home, against the wind, they could count the clock down...
The elements played a significant role in this game, but you have to be flexible and adaptable. In the second half Mayo went with a full-court press and Roscommon struggled to get out with the ball.
Had they gone with such an approach in the first half, would we be talking about a different outcome?..
It was a great day for Roscommon, but I was left asking myself, where does all this leave Mayo? I don’t subscribe to the theory they will benefit from a decent break now before the All-Ireland series because nothing beats winning, especially if you are a new manager trying to cultivate a winning mentality within a group...
The hype and expectation has been replaced by a severe dose of reality. The challenge now is for Kevin to manage that.
Mayo will certainly have some regrets on how this game played out, with Kevin McStay's side immediately losing all of the momentum they had built up over the course of an impressive league campaign.
They will be hoping that doesn't come back to bite them in the All-Ireland series later this summer.
SEE ALSO: Sherlock 'Delighted' By Reaction Of Lee Chin's Wexford Teammates
