Electric Ireland MFC Final

Friday July 8

Mayo v Galway, Dr Hyde Park, 7.15pm

It has been an action packed campaign for Mayo and Galway in the Electric Ireland MFC.

On Friday evening at Dr Hyde Park Mayo will feature in an eighth Championship encounter, while match number nine beckons for Galway.

Ultimately both camps are delighted with the volume of games and development that has taken place since April.

Mayo have already beaten Galway twice in Connacht, but the Connacht counties have flourished on the national stage.

Ronan Clarke netted a vital goal in the All Ireland semi-final win over Kerry for Mayo, while goalkeeper David Dolan and backs John McMonagle and Rio Mortimer have flourished throughout the year.

Despite the comfortable wins in Tuam and Castlebar, Mayo manager Seán Deane is expecting a demanding assignment.

“I think, first and foremost - the game down in Tuam and I said it at the time, the lay off for Galway didn’t do them any favours," Deane recalls.

“It was a different Galway team to a certain extent, they improved for the Connacht final, so that was a different team effectively that we played in the Connacht final and incrementally they have improved since the Connacht final.

“Obviously their game against Dublin and against Derry (we saw that ) and we are expecting a real, real battle here and the two previous games have absolutely no relevance at all, because they were different types of games and as I said they have improved incrementally game on game and we know we have to be better than any game we have been in so far this season."

Mayo set a high standard out west and they were the only provincial winner to register a win at the quarter-final stage. A subsequent success over Kerry highlighted Mayo's character and class.

The manner in which Galway have responded to setbacks is encouraging with Tomás Farthing, Jack Longeran, Eanna Monaghan, and Colm Costello influential figures.

Galway manager Alan Glynn is fully aware of Mayo's considerable potential. “Things didn't go our way in the Connacht final,” Glynn says.

“We know what happened previous to that. It has been a great year in terms of development and excitement. There has been no shortage of excitement. Everything hasn't gone absolutely plain sailing for us, but when it has counted in the knockout games - we had a Connacht semi-final that was knockout we put in a really good performance.

“The quarter-final against Dublin was knockout, last week against Derry was knockout.

"So the lads really when there was potential pressure associated with games the lads have really thrived."