Analysis: My gut feeling before the match that Galway had a real chance came to pass - albeit in a slightly haphazard manner. This was the first time the county would have gone into a Connacht final, or indeed any major match within the province over the past seven or eight years, as underdogs and that helped remove a little of the pressure on the younger players.

Mayo's brand of football calls upon their bigger players to deliver and that is something they failed to do yesterday, with the honourable exception of one excellent point from Conor Mortimer.

One of the main reasons Galway won this match was the performance of their full-back line. Alan Burke, Finian Hanley and Kieran Fitzgerald completely dominated their men and were all candidates for man of the match.

Hard-working Mayo full forward Billy Joe Padden was forced to scavenge further afield to make an impact. Trevor Mortimer's lack of football during the winter was a factor in a performance long on industry but short on end product.

Galway should have been further ahead by the interval, kicking seven wides to two having dominated possession, and the concern would have been they had spurned a great opportunity.

There were good early signs with Paul Clancy putting in two brilliant blocks and once Galway players acclimatised to the pace of the match, the half-back line in particular started to snap up a lot of breaking ball.

Mayo were largely dependent on Conor Mortimer as Ciarán McDonald flitted in and out of the game but even Mortimer's superb point from play failed to ignite his team. It was a poor first half quality-wise. When Mayo got back level after the restart they seemed set to use their greater experience to drive on and win the match.

Instead Galway refused to buckle and had the temerity to strike back and take the lead. It was a seminal moment. Senior players like Declan Meehan, Derek Savage, Michael Donnellan and Pádraic Joyce took responsibility, while the surgery manager Peter Ford had performed on the defence worked out extremely well.

In the end, Galway deserved their victory. The quality of football produced by both teams won't strike fear in future opponents and while it seems a little trite to suggest there is plenty of scope for improvement, Galway and Mayo will take different things from this final.

Donnellan and Joyce's fitness had been a concern before the match and they will benefit from this outing while history shows that Galway tend to improve when they hit Croke Park. No matter who they go on to play they will probably start as underdogs and anything they go on to accomplish will be a bonus.

Mayo will find it hard to lift themselves for the qualifiers and it will be as much a mental test as any physical examination that will determine how long they'll last in this year's championship. They retain the talent but now must find the key to unlocking that quality in time for their next outing.