Former Donegal footballer Nadine Doherty feels the Liam McHale effect is already impacting Mayo as they navigate their way through the early rounds of the Lidl National Football League.
The ex-Mayo men's senior inter-county midfielder and coach was ratified as the county's women's manager last November and a narrow one-point victory in Ballinasloe on Sunday over Connacht rivals Galway, who were missing the Kilkerrin-Clonberne contingent, saw them bounce back from a 2-18 to 1-15 defeat to Meath in the opening round.
McHale left Kevin McStay's Mayo men's senior inter-county management team last year, citing that he had a "totally different philosophy" to the rest of the coaching staff.
While the Galway match was hard-fought, Doherty told RTÉ's Game On that evidence of McHale's influence and experience from the tactical approaches that prevail in the men's game was clear to see in how his Mayo team played at times.
"It's interesting because you'd (former manager) Michael Moyles who would have played football - I think himself and Liam McHale would have definitely crossed over playing for Mayo in the latter end of Liam's career - and I suppose Michael Moyles started off with the male template in terms of men's football and then he moved very much to a kicking game," she said.
"We saw that at times with Mayo, in terms of they kept their kicking game, but you can totally see the effect of the men's game.
"They brought their keeper into play so much, they went short with the kick-outs, they were very happy to try and keep possession at the back to suck Galway into their own half and then hit them on the break.
"So there was a lot of that and there was a lot of a blocking runner off the ball. It's common in women's football now at the minute but you can definitely see the effect that Liam is having and I think it's going to be a good thing.
"It will take him a while as well to learn the ways of the women's game and I think if he gets the balance between both - which he will and I think this Mayo team have enough experience - they will come the summer, as they have been in the last few years, they'll be there or thereabouts."
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