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Tradition is something that will count for nothing on Monday when Mayo meet Tipperary in the All Ireland minor quarter final in Tullamore. It would be easy to say that a Mayo football side should beat a Tipperary football team out of sight in the All Ireland championship. But the premier county has been on a crest of a wave in underage football over the last number of years and this year their minor side who Mayo will face ran the powerhouse of Kerry very close in the Munster final and their u21 side put eventual All Ireland champions Cork to the pin of their collar in the Munster championship back in the spring. And Ray Dempsey knows this fact only too well as he gets his side into shape for the bank holiday weekend shoot out down in Offaly. “Look these guy’s can play football and are a very good side, they beat a very good Cork minor side already and they brought Kerry right to the wire in the Munster final. There is nothing easy about any side who makes it to the last eight of and All Ireland, you only also have to look at their u21 side this year Cork needed a last minute goal to beat them and that team went on to win the All Ireland final.”

Thirteen years on from a bounce of a ball hopping over the bar and a one for all brawl in front of the Hill, Mayo will renew acquaintance with Meath in the championship looking for their first win over the Royal County since the heady summer of 1951. When the final whistle is blown on Sunday, the initial headlines will probably go to the forward who puts the ball over the bar for the winning score or kicks a handful of points over the 70 minutes. But no matter how good the front six are all victories have their foundation on those whose primary job is to stop the other side from putting the size five over the black spot or into the back of the net.

It is often said that the penultimate day in a major golf classic is moving day. Well if that is the situation, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, then last weekend was definitely moving weekend as far as this year’s football championship is concerned. All the main protagonists were in action and, some more than others, issued a statement or two regarding their ambitions. You may recall around this time last year it was Tyrone who had limped through the back door before giving a warning to any other pretenders to the throne. Same scenario in 2009, only difference this time is that it was Kerry who jumped to the front of the queue with the performance of the year so far.

I received a text immediately after the final whistle that simply asked ‘What happened Mayo?’ It was from a friend of mine who was convinced that Mayo would beat Meath last Sunday. It was not the first time I was asked that same question down through the years, but this time I wondered at its appropriateness. We may just have to accept the hurtful reality that we just were not good enough on the day. We could apportion blame on a sub-standard performance from the referee and his officials, but that would not in any way explain why we did not finish off an average Meath team, particularly when leading by four points midway through the second half. The reality is we just did not play well enough to win the match.

Kilkenny’s five goals at Semple Stadium, Thurles on Saturday last helped them to an incredible four-in-a-row All-Ireland minor camogie titles when they beat Clare, 5-10 to 3-8.

Michael Shields v Stephen O’Neill

Sathill/Knocknacarra

The long lay off, of five weeks since their defeat at the hands of Galway in the Connacht final, did not do Mayo too much harm last weekend when they finally got back to championship action. Kevin Reidy’s side, which lost their provincial title to Galway back at the start of July, were slow coming out of the blocks against Laois and found themselves 1-6 to 1-2 down early in the first half, but inspired by player of the match Emma Mullin they ran out seven point winners in Pearse Park, Longford. That win has set up tomorrow’s meeting with Ulster champions Tyrone in Ballymahon, Co Longford, for a right to make it to the last four of the competition.

Mayo 3-9

Last Saturday evening Salthill/Knocknarra were expected to defeat a very limited St Brendan’s handily. Instead a shock of epic proportions was on the cards if the Ballygar men had a little more ability, poise, and self-belief.