Lack of a safety net may give Mayo that edge needed to beat Donegal

Mistic I am about getting a result at Hyde Park.

- 

I've said it, and it’s easy to throw it out about Mayo doing the most Mayo thing by losing to Cavan.

They were terrible, with talk from Mayo lads that it was the worst they've ever seen. How exactly did they go about beating Tyrone then?

I was at Healy Park. First things first, Mayo were good and brought loads of energy but it has to be said Tyrone were nowhere near the pitch of things at all.

I was with Sean Cavanagh and he was genuinely deflated at how they played.

I seriously thought Tyrone had announced their arrival by ending Jim McGuinness's winning record in Ballybofey.

And they followed it up with an Under-20 All-Ireland win (another one).

Looking back through the years there's been a correlation between Tyrone Under-21/20 success and senior success so going into Ballybofey and beating Donegal should have been a statement win.

But they looked so far off it at Healy Park. Mayo's win has to be looked at through that lens, as well as all the good stuff they brought to the game.

Once the ball was thrown in, Tyrone wanted to play at a high tempo and that suited Mayo down to the ground. A few turnovers, the ball is up and down the field and it turns into a chaotic game.