Kevin McStay's start to life in the Mayo hotseat in 2023 could scarcely have gone better.
Having finally landed his dream job, the early groundwork for an All-Ireland tilt later in the year appeared solid.
One defeat from seven saw them top the league table, while getting the better of Galway in Croke Park was the cherry on top for a league campaign that suggested bigger things were possible as the evenings grew longer.
Within a week those views were already being reframed.
Defeat to Roscommon was a serious setback, and in truth, they never really found their groove, bowing out to the Dubs at the quarter-final stage. In the mix at half-time, the boys in blue simply upped the gears to ease past the westerners.
Hindsight suggested that perhaps getting to a league final was not all that advantageous given the Rossies were lying in wait. Had they peaked at the wrong time?
Fast-forward two years and the picture is very similar. Once again they finished top of the pile – even though defeat to Donegal on the final day could potentially have spelled relegation – and they enter Sunday’s final with a seven-day turnaround to the Connacht championship.
Sligo aren’t expected to provide as stern a challenge as the Rossies in 2023 – they finished third in Division 1 that year while the Yeats County occupied midtable in Division 3 this spring – but McStay is mindful of the landscape they find themselves in.
"We’ve been in this situation previously," he told RTÉ Sport’s Marty Morrissey. "We’d hope that we have learned from it. Like all the teams we just have to get on with it and adapt.
"We topped the league on merit. We are not making any apologies for being in the league final. It’s a great game to get in terms of our preparation for Sligo the following week.
"We’ll chase the title on Sunday and go for it."
Despite the obvious pitfalls in playing a week out from championship, McStay insists victory over Donegal last time out was the "sole objective".
He believes however the inequality of the scheduling – opponents Kerry have a three-week run-in before their Munster semi-final – is something that will be rectified by the association.
"That’s the issue. I think it will be acted upon at the end of this season. They (GAA) have to get a break between the two competitions. It’s only fair on everybody.
"Looking towards to the end of the 2025 season, I have a great sense that will be tidied up."
Follow the Allianz Football League finals on Saturday and Sunday on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Watch Allianz League Sunday from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Listen to updates on RTÉ Radio 1
