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The second round of action in the Mayo GAA Senior Football Championship saw plenty of thrills and spills last weekend across the county.

The real stuff starts now. Losing to Galway wasn't ideal - but it has taken Mayo as many games through the back door to get to the same stage as the newly minted Connacht champions.

It was far from a vintage performance against Monaghan but the ultimate objective was achieved. Mayo won and were in the bowl for the round two qualifier draw which took place last Monday morning, which of course paired us against Kildare for this Saturday evening in Croke Park.

It was never going to be perfect, because it never is - and after six weeks without a competitive game it was going to be a matter of getting the job done and blowing out the engine ahead of bigger challenges.

They could have forced it to extra time at the death, when Aiden Orme took aim from the stand side of the field and kicked for a point but his effort tailed just wide of the target and from Connor Gleeson’s kick-out David Coldrick blew the final whistle.

There's nothing quite like a Mayo versus Galway championship encounter to whet the appetite for championship football. Rivalries have come and gone in other provinces, the likes of Meath and Dublin in Leinster and Cork and Kerry in Munster are no longer as appealing as they once were because of the dominance and stranglehold that Dublin and Kerry possess within their provinces.

The real stuff starts now. The league is a thing of the past, put away neatly in a box until early next year. it's championship time and while the Easter Eggs may still be lingering around the house ready to be finished off, Sunday is the start of a new main course and there are few tastier ones than Mayo and Galway in the championship.

Our biggest fears were realised, but not in our wildest imaginations did we envisage a 15-point mauling at the hands of Kerry in last Sunday's league final.

Mayo go to Croke Park on Sunday, looking to claim a 13th National Football League title when they take on Kerry in the competition decider.