Mayo manager Peter Leahy: 'I’m working the League to find my players'

In his first big clash with Galway as Mayo manager, Peter Leahy was delighted that his girls managed to claw their way over the line. “We definitely got over the line, but we dominated the game from start to finish in my opinion. I think we should have been well ahead. We let them back into it in the last six-seven minutes before half-time, when they got four points in a row,” Leahy added.

The conditions certainly didn’t help, with the greasy surface posing problems. “It was a scrappy affair in the second half. That pitch is very heavy. It is in brilliant condition, but it is very heavy. The girls were tired on both sides. You could see the tackling becoming an issue then,” the Westmeath native added.

Being from Westmeath Leahy is only beginning to learn about the fierce rivalry between Mayo and Galway and Sunday was no different. “I’m in Paidi O Se mode, in so far it’s all about championship. I’m working the league to find my players and that’s what I’m hoping to do.

“These girls have an awful lot at stake. There is a huge rivalry between Mayo and Galway and that that was a big game for me. I’m trying to tell the girls that it is all about performance. It’s not about results at this stage of the year. These girls were all about results when it comes to playing Galway”. Leahy is only happy to follow that train of thought, but come the summer this league win will be insignificant.