Another thing. While Mayo won the last time these counties met in headquarters, none of their 20 players who saw action that day start today. Seven of the Galway side that starts today, featured that day - and yet six years and two more league finals on, still don't have that medal.

Point being, neither side will be holding back.

The local derby factor cannot be underestimated though. Mayo seem the side most capable of landing an All Ireland yet Galway are on a fivegame unbeaten run themselves.

Mayo might have been playing superior opposition this spring, but they haven't necessarily been playing superior football, only clicking into top gear for the second 35 minutes in Cork. Mayo might have the more inform midfield pairing but questions remain over the spine of the rest of the team.

James Kilcullen does not have the lateral quickness for Padraic Joyce, the Billy Joe Padden experiment remains precisely that, they have no ball-winning full forward and while four of their attack can all play minutes at centre forward, none of those four are wearing 11 today.

Doubts over Galway's true spirit and cohesion remain though, and it will take silverware to erase them.

For now, Mayo. Barely.

GALWAY P Doherty; K Fitzgerald, F Hanley, D Burke; N Coyne, D Meehan, M Comer; J Bergin, D Blake; D Savage, J Fallon, N Joyce; M Meehan, P Joyce, C Bane MAYO D Clarke; K Higgins, J Kilcullen, L O'Malley; E Devenney, BJ Padden, P Gardiner; P Harte, D Heaney; A Dillon, A Moran, A Kilcoyne; C Mortimer, G Brady, K O'Neill