A new chapter in battle of Mayo wits

Connacht Football Final: For over a decade now John O'Mahony and John Maughan have largely defined the state of Connacht football. Briefly together, but mostly apart, they have led the province through a series of evolutions.

On Sunday in Pearse Stadium their careers cross paths once again, with both managers still looking to extend their influence even further.

Yet through those years there has never been a true shift of power. While both have enjoyed their share of success, on the grander stage O'Mahony is still as synonymous with winning as much as Maughan is with losing. And that partly explains why Galway will start Sunday's football final with Mayo as favourites.

Part of it can also be traced to luck, or more specifically in Maughan's case the lack of it. He is often introduced as an unlucky manager, and that's how it was yesterday when he joined O'Mahony at the Bank of Ireland centre in Dublin.

"Well I've never minded that unlucky tag. I love football too much. I can be unlucky for the rest of my life if it means being involved with All-Ireland finals, and losing, because it's not all about winning."

With that Maughan immediately changes tact and enters the wider realm of sport. Through his work with the civil defence he attended the recent Special Olympics ceremonies, and there, he says, was a great reminder of why he is still involved with the game he loves.

"I was privileged last week to be involved in the Special Olympics, and to be at the opening and closing ceremonies in Croke Park. I was also involved in the Host Town Programme in Castlebar. It was a humbling experience, and an enjoyable experience, and it showed it wasn't all about winning.

"Of course I get disappointed at losing All-Irelands, but I did get up the following day, and I did stay involved in football. And I hope to stay involved in football as long as I'm physically able to. At whatever level."

There is a sense that Maughan has learnt much from all that experience of losing, and is surely a better manager now for it. But the only reason he returned to the Mayo management this year was that he was needed, and that perhaps he was obliged to accept the offer to come back in after Pat Holmes.

"To be perfectly honest Mayo were struggling to find a new manager, and knocked on my door three or four times. And the fact is there aren't too many people that want to get involved with inter-county management these days. And counties that lose managers this summer will struggle to find replacements.

"There is huge pressure, and you just have to look at the sort of torment Tommy Lyons suffered at the hands of the media just a couple of weeks ago.

"And that's uncomfortable sort of pressure, which nobody likes. Winning is nice and is a real bonus, but when things aren't going well and you start getting abuse on the sideline it can be a lonely spot."

While he didn't feel he had anything vastly different to offer from his previous term, he didn't believe either in the philosophy that a manager should never go back: "I'd been involved with Crossmolina, and from a personal level that was difficult. So I refused to get involved initially, because I wanted to stay with the club.

"But I still love it as much, and when that day comes when I stop loving it I will walk away from it."

Maughan has endured many of his highs and lows with O'Mahony on the opposite sideline, though it was back in 1989, when a knee injury prematurely ended his playing career, that his role of manager first took root, and it was alongside his fellow Mayo man.

"What I remember about John O'Mahony at that time was his terrific organisational ability, but also how he invited me straight back into the panel after being out injured. Since then he has gone on to prove himself as one of the best. And his success speaks for itself."

O'Mahony then takes up the story, and how he had asked Maughan to stay involved during his term as Mayo manager: "Obviously his leadership qualities were very important, and I felt at that time that he was a great link between myself and the players.

"He also had a great feel for what was going on. So it didn't surprise in the least to see him being a successful manager in later years."

Before long O'Mahony, now installed as Galway manager, would meet Maughan as Mayo manager, who in 1992 had brought provincial success to Clare.

"We went down to Castlebar in 1998 with a young team," says O'Mahony, "after Mayo had been in two All-Irelands, and turned it over. Then Mayo came back in 1999 and did it to us after we had won the All-Ireland.

"So of course we feel we have a chance of winning on Sunday, but we know there's not going to be very much in it either way."