DIARMUID Connolly says no-one will look forward to playing Mayo in the League final on Sunday week.
The former Dublin star has been impressed with Kevin McStay’s charges over the course of their unbeaten Division 1 Spring campaign.
Mayo face Monaghan in Castlebar this weekend, but have already qualified for the league decider with one game remaining.
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It is unclear who will join them there with Galway (+10) in second place on eight points and three teams tied on six points, Kerry (+4), Roscommon (+1) and Tyrone (+1).
A Galway draw over Kerry at Pearse Stadium this weekend will be good enough to set up a Connacht derby the following Sunday in the League final.
If defending league champions Kerry win, it’s completely up in the air, who will join them with either scoring averages (in the case of three or more teams finishing on the same points) or head to head (in the case of a two way tie) likely to come into play.
In fact, a Roscommon win over Donegal could set up a League final meeting with Mayo, just a week out from their Connacht quarter-final encounter.
“Mayo are really looking strong,” Connolly told Boyle sports.
“They’re not even relying on the guys inside to get all their big scores.
“It’s all around the middle third. Paddy Durcan was immense (against Donegal), as was Jordan Flynn again and Matthew Ruane kicking balls with the outside of his foot.
“It’s very nice football to watch. Aidan O’Shea at full forward is giving them a new lease of life. He’s such a big man, he can hold up the ball and get runners off him.
“They put up a huge score against Donegal and nobody is going to look forward to playing them in a League final - they are the form team at the moment.
“But we did say the same thing about them this time last year. They were flying in the League and they just didn’t get over the line, nor in the All-Ireland series.”
Connolly continued: “Kerry were 1-6 to 0-2 up against Roscommon and it looked like they were going to run away with it.
“But in fairness to Roscommon, they really dug in second half. They won the last three of Kerry’s kick outs and they put them under real pressure.
“There was only one score in it and anything could have happened.
“I’m really not all that impressed by Kerry so far this year. But Jack O’Connor will be quietly happy. He said they were not going for the League, but now they could be in the final.”
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