Kevin McStay has said that "mercurial" Mayo are running on fumes – but he has warned that Kerry must be wary of their unpredictable nature when the counties clash in this year's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final.
James Horan’s side looked down and out early in the second half against Kildare on Saturday as they trailed 0-11 to 0-06, but after Daniel Flynn missed a great goal chance to all but end the contest, Mayo managed to turn things around thanks to majors from Oisín Mullin and a late sealer from Jordan Flynn.
Their reward in Monday’s draw was a tie against a Kerry side that sauntered to yet another Munster title.
"Mayo are living on scraps, they're really (running on) fumes at this stage," McStay said.
"Injuries are one side of it but morale and confidence is the bigger side of it. I think even the supporters are finding it difficult to believe in their progress and it’s kind of a living to die another day thing, which is probably a bit unfair.
"They keep going to try and eke out the victory. If it was any other team you’d be saying 'my God, that’s some achievement'. They did keep at it because that is what Mayo do don’t they? And they got the little break then (Mullin’s goal)."
Mayo have long had to deal with chat of a curse hanging over them, but maybe this time they can take advantage of such prophetic notions with the omens pointing to a difficult assignment for Kerry.
Jack O'Connor’s team have racked up two wins against Mayo this season already, but they will be hoping to avoid the path taken by both Roscommon and Donegal who won two before losing a crucial third to Galway and Armagh respectively.
"I’m jumping ahead and looking at the draw and saying that now everyone realises that they’ll be put out of their misery, except for the people that inhabit that bubble. They’ll be thinking Ryan O’Donoghue, can we get him back now?
"This is the third time that Kerry would have to beat Mayo this season. Roscommon couldn’t do it against Galway and Donegal couldn’t do it against Armagh. Familiarity does breed a little contempt alright.
"On all known evidence it looks like the end of the road, but that’s not to say that their victory over Kildare wasn’t a victory for resilience and staying at it. Not throwing in the towel or as we often say, washing the shovels early."
"(They were) all over the shop, mad as a box of frogs... I was saying to my daughter, 'I can’t see it now’ and the next thing they get a goal of the season (contender). Within minutes it’s turned around," McStay continued.
"They are mercurial, what can I say? We are the great entertainers and you can’t count us out."
Meanwhile, McStay praised Kildare for building up a level of resilience with Glenn Ryan’s side just falling away in the final quarter at Croke Park.
McStay remarked how he had discussed with Ciarán Whelan about just how bad the Kildare defence had been in their narrow Leinster semi-final win over Westmeath, but he said the improvement in the Mayo match deserved recognition.
"It was crazy. ’Down this channel sir if you’d like, goals go down this way, points down this way’. Nobody laid a hand on anybody," he said of their defending against Westmeath.
"We both said that night that if they didn’t improve Dublin would murder them, and of course they did.
"Then in not much time, and I have to give them massive kudos because it’s not an easy thing to do, to redraw their defence and get buy in and actually get people to make contact for a change.
"When runners and guys have to be tracked or hit that people come out and actually hit them and stop them in their tracks. So I have to give a big plus to Kildare there."
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