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There was only one real surprise when John O'Mahony announced his starting line up for this Sunday's clash with Meath in the All-Ireland quarter-final in Croke Park. Castlebar's Barry Moran, who was expected to miss the game with a broken bone in his hand, was named at full forward. Moran, who picked up the injury in training last week, was expected to be sidelined by the hand problem for a number of weeks. But in a similar turn of events to what happened when Ronan McGarrity suffered a facial injury in a club championship match in the lead up to the Connacht final, he seems to have healed quickly enough to be given the nod.

Mayo 3-10

Mayo may well be the bookies’ favourites to win Sunday’s All Ireland semi-final clash against Down, but the favourites’ tag is something that Ray Dempsey has never paid much heed to as an inter county player and as an inter county manager since he took the reins of the Mayo minor side in 2008. The Knockmore man who brought last year’s batch of minors to within seconds of claiming Mayo’s first All Ireland minor title since 1985 last year, is once again only 60 minutes away from the last Sunday in September and an All Ireland final day out in front of a packed Croke Park.

Mayo 2-9       Down 0-9

Since Ray Dempsey took charge of the Mayo minor side three years ago he has had a simple mantra, getting his side to put in the best possible performance every time from one to 15, and right on through to the last man who makes up the 30 on the panel. “It may be a cliché, but the truth is any side is only as good as its weakest link. You only have to look at any big game that has ever been played, they are won by everyone doing the right things everywhere. You can have a guy who plays the game of his life in one position but a few simple mistakes elsewhere on the pitch can cost you the game at the end.”

Quite often the best game on All-Ireland final Sunday is the minor contest rather than the senior joust.

Often the best game on All-Ireland final Sunday is the minor contest, rather than the senior joust. Last year was no exception and Mayo and Tyrone played out a real thriller in Croke Park that had to go to a replay before Tyrone just about collected the silverware.

George Bernard Shaw once said, "You see things and say 'Why?' but I dream of things that never were and I say 'Why not?” Our minors are our ‘dream team’ on Sunday next and it is on your brave young shoulders that all Mayo’s dreams currently rest. Good doesn't just happen. Good people make it happen. And you lads are good people. You are the most exciting generation ever — the best educated, and clearly possessing of sporting talent, and with the prospect of making a huge contribution to your county's future. God knows we need a boost, a big sporting win, to give us some hope of achieving bigger and better things in the years to come. It is such a long time since we won an All-Ireland championship final in Croke Park that a win on Sunday would help eradicate some of the awful memories we have from the last couple of decades. Ultimately when it comes to match time it will be down to the panel of players and management whether or not we will have something to get excited about.

The thing about the minor grade is that it’s over for the players at this level nearly as soon as it starts, most players get one year at this level, the lucky ones get two. It doesn’t really allow for rivalries to build up over the years outside the natural provincial domain so going into Sunday’s All Ireland final the only rivalry to be sorted out on the field will be who want’s it more.

The focus on Sunday will be on the team and Ray Dempsey and whatever changes he makes, but behind the Knockmore man there are three other men who might not be the focus of attention, but have played as important a role in Mayo’s progress to the All Ireland final as anyone. Stephen Healy, Tomás O’Grady, and Kevin Beirne are all vital cogs in the Mayo brains trust that has mapped out Mayo’s route to a second All Ireland minor final in a row, and it is all about getting over that final inch this time and bringing home the first All Ireland minor title since 1985, according to Healy.