AS GARY LINEKER might have said, football is a simple game. 30 men chase a ball around for 70 minutes, and at the end Mayo lose.
One must wonder how much longer the current crop of Mayo footballers can keep going. Ever year without victory simply adds to the weight of recent history, makes it ever harder for the class of 2011-15 to keep climbing the mountain. Five years as Connacht champions have each failed to see them reach the true summit. Hope springs eternal and in February they might well be up for it. But not every February can begin that way.
And as for the Dubs… another final against Kerry. The more things change…
| 1 | Dublin | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Kerry | 1951 | |
| 3 | Mayo | 1862 | |
| 4 | Donegal | 1726 | |
| 5 | Tyrone | 1685 | |
| 6 | Cork | 1682 | |
| 7 | Monaghan | 1663 | |
| 8 | Kildare | 1507 | |
| 9 | Galway | 1458 | |
| 10 | Derry | 1457 |