Mayo are through to the All-Ireland quarter-finals after a thrilling nail-biting win over neighbours Galway on Sunday afternoon.
The Connacht rivals both landed themselves in the preliminary quarter-final round after losing their final game in the pool phase, and it was undoubtedly the headline tie of the preliminary games.
After going 20 minutes without a score in the first-half, Mayo came bursting out of the blocks in the second-half, scoring 1-5 without reply in the opening 20 minutes of the second period.
They held on against fierce Galway pressure to take a one-point win and build serious momentum entering the last eight of the All-Ireland.
Breaking down the game on The Sunday Game on RTÉ post-match, Lee Keegan selected Diarmuid O'Connor as the man of the match, and lavished the Mayo forward with praise as "the ultimate teammate."
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Lee Keegan praises Mayo star Diarmuid O'Connor for role in defeating Galway
Mayo's barnstorming second-half performance was thanks in no small part to the brilliance of Diarmuid O'Connor. Though the wing forward did not get on the scoreboard, he was instrumental to Mayo's buildup play, relentless in his defensive efforts, and ultimately was a fully deserved man-of-the-match winner.
25 June 2023; Paul Conroy of Galway is tackled by Diarmuid O'Connor of Mayo during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Preliminary Quarter Final match between Galway and Mayo at Pearse Stadium in Galway. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Speaking on RTÉ immediately after the final whistle, O'Connor's ex-Mayo teammate Lee Keegan hailed his county's second-half performance, and noted that O'Connor had been influential:
What a second half for Mayo, came out of the blocks and dictated the terms and conditions. Diarmuid O'Connor set that tone straight away. What a victory.
I think Peter mentioned before the game the subs, and the impact Mayo would have. That was the telling difference towards the end. Mayo finished really strongly, they'll be delighted with that second half performance.
Diarmuid O'Connor [was man of the match]. Fantastic performance. We always mention his work rate, his determination, his resilience to keep going and going and going. But he set the platform for Mayo, particularly in that second half. He won a massive turnover here in Galway's attack, and then made a huge run. He was fantastic today.
O'Connor was interviewed immediately after those comments, and made a joke at Keegan's expense.
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Diarmuid O'Connor mentioned Keegan's remarks that Mayo tend to perform best when they are under pressure, and wondered whether he would back them in the last eight now that they had built momentum.
This wasn't a round we wanted to be in and we were disappointed last week so it's a great win today but we've to get over it very quickly.
It could be anyone [in the quarter-final draw]. I don't know what Lee will say, I don't know if anyone will fancy getting us when we have momentum behind us. Just looking forward to it.
In response, Keegan laughed and said that the performance was the "most Mayo" it could possibly have been, before going even further in his praise of their star man:
It's funny, every time Mayo are really with their backs up against the wall, after a few poor performances, they're nearly written off after so much hope. A game like today is the most Mayo thing you'll ever see. They come in and do what they do best. I think he [O'Connor] sums it up in terms of his performance. He is the ultimate teammate - that's the best compliment I can give him.
He will do anything on the pitch, he will track, he will harry, he will tackle. Again, it was him today who set the terms and conditions, when Mayo needed somebody to step up. I'm delighted for him, I really am.
Mayo will learn their quarter-final opponents on Monday morning when the draw is made. They cannot meet Kerry, having been in the same pool as the All-Ireland champions, and could face one of Dublin, Derry, or Armagh.
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