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Galway are hot favourites next Saturday to beat Sligo in Markievicz Park (7pm) in the Connacht semi-final, but why are so many people speaking so confidently about Galway's chances this weekend?

The club championship got under way last weekend with the clash of the round in group one between reigning champions Castlebar Mitchels and local rivals Ballintubber, both pre tournament favourites for the Moclair Cup.

Moycullen's handball ace Martin Mulkerrins picked up three awards at the recent provincial GAA awards ceremony.

I thought the Mayo team looked a little bit spooked last Sunday in Hyde Park and I really do not know why they appeared that way. Some might suggest that Conor Mortimer’s surprise departure from the squad placed a difficult burden on Mayo. I don’t believe it did. On the other hand I bumped into the Mayo manager in Castlebar last Saturday and could see he had the weary look of a man that had a belly-full of the Mortimer issue over the previous few days. I am sure he is sleeping a little more soundly since Sunday as his squad did just about enough to get over the line against a typically sticky Sligo challenge. As I stood to watch the presentation of the Nestor Cup, I engaged with a few Mayo supporters who were just as relieved that Mayo won the match. And I have to agree with their view which was that winning is the most important thing.

Mayo 0-12

The distraction of Wednesday’s news that Conor Mortimer has decided to leave the Mayo senior panel is the last thing that Mayo manager James Horan will have wanted ahead of Sunday’s Connacht final showdown with Sligo in Hyde Park. Horan’s side had only just been announced by the county board online and through traditional methods a matter of hours when news broke of Mortimer’s decision to leave the panel, bringing the eye of the national and local media on Mayo ahead of Sunday for reasons other than what happens on the field. Mortimer being the second member of the panel to make themselves unavailable for Mayo in a matter of weeks, following Robert Hennelly’s decision leave the panel due to work commitments a few weeks ago.

The big news of Conor Mortimer’s withdrawal from the Mayo squad earlier this week did not take me by surprise.

Whatever exuberance and confidence that was was starting to bubble within Galway football supporters’ hearts after the facile win over a poor Roscommon team, was mercilessly wiped out last Saturday evening. Sligo won a senior championship tie for the first time at a Galway venue, comprehensively outscoring Galway by 2-14 to 0-15.

Paul Conroy v Johnny Martyn

The Galway football management team of Alan Mulholland, Donal O’Flatharta and Alan Flynn have made no changes to the starting 15 that faced Roscommon in the first round of the Connacht championship.