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Mayo laboured to this win over a Limerick side that were desperately poor in front of goal but neither manager will be happy with their team’s performance.

Trevor Mortimer’s sixth-minute goal was the catalyst for a dominant Mayo first-half performance. They led by 1-6 to 0-2 at the interval without ever hitting top gear. Mayo’s wing-back Enda Devanney hit the pick of those points as the Connacht men ensured the tie was over as a contest at the break.

Limerick’s first-half scores came through the ever-dependable Michael Reidy who was their most impressive performer on the day but they looked several yards off the pace set by a very well-organised Mayo team.

The experiment of playing Billy Joe Padden at centre-back continues to bear fruit. The Belmullet man added physicality and accurate distribution to the defence but this was an all-round team performance. Every Mayo man knew his job and did it well. The strength of the Mayo panel was also evident with Pat Harte, Aidan Kilcoyne and James Nallen all on the bench.

Injuries to David Brady and Kevin O’Neill disrupted Mayo in the second-half, but while Limerick enjoyed a greater share of the possession after the break they hit nine wides and were over-elaborate in possession. While they got to within two points of a stuttering Mayo outfit Limerick never looked like winning and pointed frees from Alan Dillon secured a comfortable victory for the Connacht champions.

Mayo manager John O’Mahony expressed his delight at the result afterwards.

He said: “It was a day when a lot of things went right for us. We worked hard and got our scores at the right time. That win will be a major confidence boost for the coming matches.”

Limerick manager Mickey Ned O’Sull-ivan learned how far his im-proving team is from football’s top table.
He said: “When you are up against sides as good as Mayo you have to take your chances or you are gone simple as that. We did a lot of things right but left the shooting boots behind so didn’t really deserve anything from the game.”