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Robbie Hennelly’s injury time penalty save from Ciaran Murtagh was the last act in Mayo’s five day trilogy of games in the FBD League as Kevin McStay’s side ran out three point winners in a bitterly cold Hyde Park - as for the second time in three days, Mayo failed to take advantage of their opponents having a man sent off.

At the second time of asking, Mayo got their 2018 season under way on Wednesday night against Leitrim in the FBD League - having to wait an extra three days after their game against Galway was called off shortly after it was due to throw-in on Sunday due to a frozen pitch.

Galway senior ladies' footballers open the season with a first competitive encounter on Sunday in the Connacht Winter League.

It looked that Mayo were going to get off to a winning start until Leitrim’s Brendan Gallagher punched the ball past Paddy O’Malley from close range deep into injury time to secure a draw in this FBD League encounter in front of 1,696 paying spectators in MacHale Park.

Mayo manager Stephen Rochford confirmed that he expects to be without two more of his front line players for the majority if not all of the upcoming national league campaign.

He's only 22 years old and already has a final personal collection of honours in the game; All Ireland winners' medals at minor and u21 level, two national young player of the year awards and a collection of club medals in his back pocket. But the one that drives him and other players on is still there to be won. Hopefully, by Sunday evening that collection will be complete for Diarmuid O'Connor.

The long road had a few more miles added to it last Saturday evening in Limerick when Mayo were brought to extra time for the second time in three games, and on Sunday they head into their seventh All Ireland quarter final in as many years looking to take down the newly crowned Connacht champions.

Following their victory on the road in Tralee a fortnight ago, all eyes will be turned to MacHale Park tomorrow evening when Mayo host Roscommon in the third round of the National Football League. Whenever these sides meet, be it in pre-season competition on wet and boggy fields or in the height of summer, there is never an inch given by either side and tomorrow night's encounter is expected to be a similar encounter.

And so it begins. With the greatest respect to the FBD league, Mayo's season kicks off in earnest with a home tie against Monaghan in MacHale Park tomorrow evening. I will let someone else tell Andy Moran about the insignificance of the FBD league. Mayo's evergreen full forward was full of passion for the trip to Kiltoom to face Roscommon in the final FBD group game, scoring two late goals to ultimately decide the contest and rub salt to the wounds of the Rossies' who had given him plenty of stick while he was on the sideline.

The sophomore slump is something that Mayo manager Stephen Rochford is hoping to avoid this coming season, while it was not exactly a breakout success for this group of Mayo players last year when they went toe to toe with one of the best sides to ever play the game in last year's All Ireland final, for Rochford it was his debut year as the boss in the inter-county ranks. With the National Football League getting under way tomorrow evening when Mayo host Monaghan in Castlebar, we caught up with the Crossmolina native this week to look ahead to the league and back on a few things from last year.