GAA/ News: On a weekend that didn't quite shake up the Allianz Leagues as anticipated there was at least some normality restored to Tyrone football.

The All-Ireland champions yesterday travelled to Castlebar to play Mayo for their first match since the sudden death of team captain Cormac McAnallen two weeks ago, and worked typically hard for a nine-point victory - and the first of what is sure to be many tributes on the field of play. It was, said manager Mickey Harte afterwards, also the start of the time to move on. McAnallen will always be synonymous with this team and yet deep down they know the greatest tribute to their captain will be to defend their League and All-Ireland titles with the same vigour and desire that he so often exemplified.

"We had to realise that we had spent our time in sympathy with the family for Cormac," said Harte, "and probably felt very badly over the number of days. But there has to be a time to move on and if there is anything positive to come out of this then we must go out and be positive people and positive footballers. That was the goal we had for ourselves - to go out and do what he would have wanted us to."

For Mayo manager John Maughan, being on the losing end of the 2-11 to 1-5 scoreline left him with little doubt about the deserving winners: "The Tyrone boys showed great resilience and great strength of character," he said.

"Their first goal was the killer blow. They weren't playing particularly well in the first 15 to 20 minutes, as they tried to find where they were mentally and they were missing a lot of opportunities."

The result also leaves Tyrone very much in the hunt for one of the play-off places from Division 1A, trailing just Kerry but with a game in hand. Kerry move to the top after beating Westmeath in Mullingar - the game hyped up as Paidi Ó Sé against his old comrades - by 2-10 to 0-10.

In the end though it was hardly the most memorable of occasions, with Kerry pushing well clear shortly before half-time after two goals in quick succession, including a penalty from Mike Frank Russell.

Dublin went into yesterday's meeting with Fermanagh in Enniskillen also thinking about the play-offs but a second half collapse allowed the home side to snatch a draw. Relegation mightn't worry Tommy Lyons over the next few weeks but the form of many of his players will.

In Division 1B things remain even more unresolved with three out of the four games ending in draws - Laois v Galway, Limerick v Meath, and Wexford v Cavan. Only Armagh, who beat Sligo 1-12 to 0-10, can be said to be entirely satisfied.