Every team has these moments that show just what they’re made of.
Sometimes it’s just talent, the real, raw talent, that comes through. Other times it’s mettle, resolve, bottle. On Sunday in Mayo, it was balls. It was courage. It was character.
Listen, a team with their track record and ambition doesn’t concern themselves too much with a Connacht quarter-final. Those games are purely about getting through and now they have Galway in their way. In August, they’ll have another big game to prepare for too but you only get there when you’re willing to do what it takes.
Sometimes, that means taking hits square in the face and walking on through them.
Diarmuid O’Connor knows what that means. His goal in the first half of the 2-14 to 0-11 win over Sligo was pure power and pure ignorance and it marked him out as a beast of a man and Mayo as an ignorant attacking threat.
WATCH: Diarmuid O'Connor's thumping goal for Mayo is power at its frightening best | SportsJOE.ie https://t.co/tuOjD4MtN2
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 21, 2017
In the second period though, the wing forward took a nasty clash that drew so much blood from him it looked like he was covered in paint.
They had a decent sub in Aidan O’Shea to replace him at the time.
Aidan O'Shea temp sub for Diarmuid#ConnachtGAA QF#Elverys MacHale Park#MayoGAA 1-08#SligoGAA 0-06
— Mayo GAA (@MayoGAA) May 21, 2017
But, honestly, it looked like he was going to need a serious bit of patching up.
Ouch! Diarmuid O'Connor spills some blood during Mayo's clash with Sligo in Castlebar pic.twitter.com/Eg1ReYDsWU
— Stephen McCarthy (@sportsfilesteve) May 21, 2017
It was hard to even see where it was coming from.
His face, arms, jersey and shorts were covered.
It didn’t stop him jogging off.
Look at this.
Few minutes later… and he was grand.
Temp sub reversed, Diarmuid back on for Aidan#ConnachtGAA QF#Elverys MacHale Park#MayoGAA 1-09#SligoGAA 0-08
— Mayo GAA (@MayoGAA) May 21, 2017
He helped Mayo stretch that four-point lead to nine by the end.
Another little indicator of the toughness of the GAA and the will of some of these men chasing Sam.
Something like this doesn’t mean Mayo are suddenly going to win an All-Ireland. But it’s a pretty good indication that they’re not going to go down easy.
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