Storm is brewing unless Mayo discover ruthless edge

In many ways, Mayo's afternoon imitated the weather.

As the atmosphere built off Dr Mannix Road, the sun blazed against the clearest sky of the year. Mayo likewise arrived in Galway full of promise and hope. There could be no questions over their standing as favourites heading into their first Connacht final in four years. They had been making gradual improvements in every game since the conclusion of the league, and the sight of men in maroon could only serve as the catalyst for them to burst into championship form.

Galway, on the other hand, had been struggling for form since the beginning of the year. They should've been put to the sword by Sligo in the Connacht semi-final and had been accused, perhaps fairly, of lacking cohesion and leadership, traits that can be immensely difficult to rediscover in only a matter of weeks. So the Galway faithful weren't exactly bouncing into Salthill with ambition for the latest instalment of the grand old rivalry.

By full-time though, the sun had been replaced by dark clouds that began to menacingly roll in over Pearse Stadium. There couldn't have been a more apt metaphor for Mayo's mood. While Mayo's championship is far from over, looming grey clouds aren't exactly a signal for the onset of hay-saving weather.

There was nothing surprising about Galway's sudden resurgence, all the same. If the history of this rivalry has taught us anything, it's that no outcome could be deemed unexpected when Mayo and Galway come to blows in the Connacht championship. The derby is a game of blackjack – nobody knows what card will be turned over, what version of either side will turn up. As it happened Galway brought enough personality to the game to produce a result – and not being able to match that force of personality will probably hurt most for Kevin McStay's side.

Much had been made of the so-called Group of Death facing the Connacht champions in the lead-up to Sunday's game, with the prevailing view being that the loser of Sunday's final would be given a handier draw in the next stage of the competition. But a more forensic view of the draw would've led to an alternative conclusion. Dublin remain the team to beat in the championship, even if they only finished runners-up in the league, and therefore topping Group 2 is considerably more difficult than finishing top of Group 1. Cavan, by pushing Tyrone to extra-time in the Ulster Championship a couple of weeks ago, have proven that they are perhaps the most dangerous fourth seeded team in the group stage. As for Roscommon, they've proven that they can always raise their game for Connacht opposition – and Mayo certainly isn't immune from that threat.

So Group 2 is rife with danger – and finishing bottom of the pack is far from inconceivable for a Mayo side whose season has just been thrown into mild disarray.

In the end Galway feared the prospect of losing more than Mayo. And nobody was haunted by that prospect more than Damien Comer. The Annaghdown man only scored two points from play but caused endless trouble for Mayo's defence. He zipped around the place like an oversized hare, bounced off Mayo bodies like a bucking bull, jinked in and out of tackles like a windshield bobblehead. He produced assists, created frees and always had one eye on the net at Colm Reape's back.

Comer imprinted his personality on the game and, when it mattered most, it rubbed off on his teammates. But while he was undoubtedly the game's outstanding performer, Connor Gleeson was eventually tasked with converting the winning score in additional time. After the game Padraic Joyce revealed that the goalkeeper had been given permission to take a week off following the death of his grandmother, but the shot-stopper turned up to training anyway. He didn't have his finest day between the sticks either – some of his kick-outs went disastrously wayward and, at times, he left his teammates in maelstroms of pressure. On one occasion, he found himself isolated and dispossessed in no man's land. Mayo countered at pace and had a forward been on hand to take the last pass in the attack, Mayo would've likely scored a goal that could've been the difference on a day of cagey fare.

Gleeson nevertheless refused to shy away from the free at the death just outside the Mayo 45-metre line. With Shane Walsh on the field of play, nobody would've been calling for his head if he opted against taking on the responsibility. Galway's personality had become infectious though, and Gleeson's effort was soon bisecting the posts.

How far Galway's newfound confidence and determination will bring them in the championship is a discussion for another day. For now, Galway football is in a much better place than it was a week ago.

Mayo are meanwhile left with only two weeks to find the energy and creativity for three very, very tough games. And it will be difficult for them to stop the mind drifting back to the manner in which they failed to punish Galway when Joyce's side were slumping against the ropes during the opening 20 minutes of Sunday's encounter. Most of the football was being played deep in the Galway half. Their defenders were struggling to break out of defence and were being forced into errors. Still, despite Mayo's domination, the game was level at three points apiece. The only statistic that matters is on the scoreboard and Mayo could never get out of sight.

Ryan O'Donoghue had a relatively quiet afternoon, though it was through no fault of his own. Even though he didn't receive a lot of ball, he kept making the runs. The telepathy just wasn't there with his teammates. Though Aidan O'Shea won plenty of ball in the full-forward line, there was insufficient support to help him punish the hosts. And while Tommy Conroy's flashes of pace were evident once again, he was unable to ultimately punish Galway on the scoreboard.

Further back the field, Paddy Durcan's absence was glaringly obvious. Mayo defenders regularly broke out of their own half like speed skaters on ice. But as they approached Galway's 45-metre line, it was as if they swapped the skates for Doc Martens. The penetration needed to create fissures in Galway's defence was absent.

And like a persistent pugilist, the Tribesmen stumbled towards the championship rounds of the contest, swerving every potential knockout blow. That personality was eventually rewarded.

Mayo's house hasn't quite fallen down just yet. But with storms brewing up ahead, it's in need of serious rapid renovations.