Returning Durcan was the leader Mayo needed

FOR the past few weeks, Mayo football has been at an incredibly low ebb.

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It was a time for leaders to step up. Captain Paddy Durcan's return to the starting team almost a year to the day since he tore his ACL couldn't have been more perfectly timed.

Paddy's performance was nothing less than sensational in Omagh. As a player who has suffered that same injury, I know the doubts that flood your mind when you're returning.

But it looked like Paddy (inset) had never been away. The impact his performance had on his teammates was infectious; when he kicked his first of three scores it seemed as if every Mayo player grew a foot taller.