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In what will be a welcome boost to the coffers of Mayo GAA, there will be four home games for Mayo in the proposed fixtures for Division 1 of the Allianz Football league next year. The draft fixtures which were released this week will see Mayo entertain Kerry, Tyrone, Kildare, and in a repeat of this years All Ireland final, Donegal in Elvery’s McHale Park. They will be on the road to Dublin, Down, and Cork in their remaining three games. The fixtures will see Mayo open up at home to Kerry on Sunday February 3, and follow that up with another home game against Tyrone the following Sunday. After a couple of weeks break they will be back in action on Saturday March 2, in the first of two away games in a row, on a Saturday night against Dublin, they will follow that up the next Saturday night away to Down. They will be back home the next Saturday night, March 16, against Kildare, before hosting Donegal the following Sunday, March 24, in Castlebar. They will round off the group stages of the competition away to Cork on Sunday, April 7. Mayo will have three Saturday night games and four Sunday afternoon games in the proposed fixtures.

The flags and the bunting have been put up around the towns and villages of the county. Songs have been written and learned with gusto, while those who left the wild sod of their homeland in search of better things afar, are clutching boarding cards to come home. It can only mean one thing — Mayo is in an All Ireland final.

I think Mayo have a great chance of beating the Dubs on Sunday. Luke Dempsey called earlier in the week to discuss Mayo’s chances. He too believes Mayo will win. He suggested that the Dubs need twice as much possession as most teams to manage a victory. He believes many of their players are lacking in some of the fundamental skills of the game. I too have suggested that many of the Dublin footballers appear to be manufactured footballers, ie, many are not naturally talented. Of course they are much better than the three teams we have played in this year’s campaign so far, but are the Dubs that good? I do not think so.

Once in a while, it can be good to get things wrong. Not too often, but calling the result of Mayo's All Ireland minor quarter final against the defending All Ireland champions Tipperary at the start of the month was something that a lot of people called wrong. And were glad too. Tony Duffy's side put on a performance of class and determination in sweeping aside the Munster champions in Croke Park that day. It was as unexpected as it was refreshing, and exciting to see a Mayo side take to the turf in headquarters and play without any fear but total abandon and take to the game to a supposedly stronger side and put them to the sword. Their reward for that victory is a place in the All Ireland semi-final this Sunday against beaten Leinster finalists Meath for a place in next month’s All Ireland final.

I was driving home from Dublin last Sunday evening when my good friend Pat Holmes eventually managed to get through to me on the phone. He could barely talk as his voice was practically gone. Normally, when Pat’s voice is hoarse, things have not gone too well. We had spoken earlier in the morning and I gathered then that he was nervous about playing Crossmolina later in the afternoon. I’m not so sure he was any the better after having spoken with me earlier as all I told him to do was to relax as there was a huge number of Cross lads out injured.

It's been a rollercoaster ride though this year’s National Football League for Mayo so far and last Sunday was no different. The game saw Mayo lead Kerry by eight points at one stage in the first half, but ended with them clinging on manfully to hold out against the Kerry challenge as long as possible when they were forced to play the last 25 or so minutes with only 14 men – following Lee Keegan’s dispatch for an early shower after he was suckered into a sloppy foul resulting in a second yellow flashed in his general direction.

The fog may have brought an early end to the February dalliance between Dublin and Mayo, but on Saturday evening both sides will give it a second go in McHale Park. With an estimated 10,000 people showing up for that game back in February, and a lot of those not getting a ticket on the way in to that game, there will be free entry on Saturday night. So there is no excuse for the Mayo football population not to come out in their thousands and support the senior team. The county board will be distributing tickets outside the ground and people can make a voluntary donation of €5 which will be used to fund four different local charities, Western Care, Mayo-Roscommon Hospice, Western Alzheimers, and the Order of Malta.

James Horan and the Mayo football squad will play in division one of the National Football League again in 2012. They will open their league campaign with an away fixture against Laois on Saturday February 4.

Saturday February 4 - Laois v Mayo (Rd 1)

I discovered last Sunday that football does occasionally work to Hollywood endings and rose-red sunsets. Last Sunday’s game was a big occasion for Mayo football. Our reputation as a team of being able to compete with the big boys was under threat. However we should not have worried ourselves as Mayo delivered a fearless determined display which ranks up there with the very best we have witnessed heretofore and in doing so ensured that the integrity of Mayo football is back where it belongs after a disappointing couple of years.