Mayo captain Aidan O'Shea is hungry for Connacht glory as his young side contest their first provincial football final in five years against Galway this afternoon (Live on RTÉ2).
The Green and Red won five Nestor Cups in a row between 2011 and 2015 but have been beaten by Galway or Roscommon every year since.
Now, after defeating Leitrim and Roscommon to get here, Mayo have the chance to get one over on the Tribesmen, who are playing their first game of the championship due to Sligo's semi-final withdrawal.
"We haven’t been in a Connacht final for a few years, that’s something we wanted to put right," O'Shea told RTÉ Sport.
"It’s been a hectic number of weeks. Obviously getting relegated was disappointing, we had a quick turnaround against Leitrim in tough conditions and then we knew we had a real challenge against Roscommon so delighted with the way the boys performed.
"We know what kind of team Galway are. Padraic has them playing really good football, when they click they are really good so we are going to have to be at our best. Galway are going to be a step up."
The likes of Oisin Mullin (corner-back) and Tommy Conroy (corner-forward) have excelled amongst a raft of newcomers and O'Shea is excited by the new wave of talent coming through.
"We didn’t convert as we would have liked (against Roscommon) and down the stretch our discipline lacked a bit so there is loads to improve on," he said.
"We’re transitioning through that period from an older team to a younger and more vibrant team and there are always going to be mistakes."
Galway disappointed in the conclusion to the Allianz Football League but captain Shane Walsh expects meeting their old rivals to sharpen the appetite.
"The sight of the red and green is the same as the maroon and white for them," said Galway captain Shane Walsh. "It's battle now on Sunday.
"Those games always take a life of their own. Last year, they took us at the end of the year (in the qualifiers). A couple of years ago, we took them when it wasn’t expected.
"That is the nature of the rivalry that is there and I expect nothing different on Sunday.
"Mayo have been very strong on kickouts. Whichever team does better in that area is probably going to dictate the play and the signs are if you have most of the ball you’re going to win the game.
"We’re a confident group. I know we were a bit slow getting back to things but we’re looking to put on a big performance."
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Galway manager Joyce has the unique distinction of his first championship game in charge being a Connacht final.
He is confident that it won’t end in a repeat of the 15-point beating Mayo handed them in the Allianz Football League last month.
"It was one of the worst days that we were out standing on a field but we got to the bottom of that and realised why we didn’t play that well," he told RTÉ Sport.
"It broke down to a 25-minute period in the first half where we lost count of tackles and didn’t get any hands on. Mayo punished us really well but that’s what the top teams do.
"We have learned a lot from that and will hopefully bring it to the field on Sunday."
"It will be a tight game."
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Mayo boss James Horan agrees.
"Different day, different competition, different team," he said.
"Galway had a lot of players missing with the Moycullen (Galway champions) contingent etc. It will be completely different circumstances."
Horan feels he has a potent blend of old warhorses and young bucks at this disposal.
"Cillian (O’Connor) and Aidan (O’Shea) up front with Tommy Conroy, that (full-forward) line in itself is representative of where the team is – a lot of experience but a lot of youthful enthusiasm as well," he said.
"We’re just delighted with the progress we’re making and trying to grow and develop all the time.
Watch Galway v Mayo live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 1pm Sunday and follow live updates on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News app
