Mayo must show significant improvement if they are to be considered genuine All-Ireland football contenders, according to Colm O'Rourke.
A scoring surge in the final quarter was enough to see off Meath in the second round of the All-Ireland Super 8s on a scoreline of 2-17 to 0-14, but in truth it was an indifferent display for the most part.
However after last week’s comprehensive defeat in Killarney, a win of any description was the prerequisite at Croke Park.
The Sunday Game analyst O’Rourke believes Mayo's old-guard were once again key to steering the ship home, but is not convinced on current form that James Horan's side can lift Sam Maguire.
"It was a poor quality game and it was only in the last 10 or 15 minutes that Mayo took over," he said.
"Mayo won the last 20 minutes of the game 2-06 to two points. Andy Moran came on and made a big difference. James Carr came on and made a difference. Lee Keegan came into the game, Colm Boyle drove them on, Aidan and Seamus O'Shea.
"The experience of Mayo paid off in the end, but they are a long way from All-Ireland contenders."
Colm O'Rourke says Mayo's experience told in the end but he believes they are "a long way from All-Ireland contenders". #super8s #GAA pic.twitter.com/bDUabOIGRo
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 21, 2019
Man of the match Boyle admitted that it was far from a five-star performance from the victors.
"We got a couple of scores and dug in. We didn’t play like we wanted to, but we knew coming up here that we were coming up against a serious team
"We made a lot of mistakes, but we’re just about still in it."
