It's always about being there in September and bridging the gap to 1951 for Mayo, but they can accomplish that to some degree in July this year.
Tomorrow’s curtain-raiser at Croke Park is the eighth Championship meeting of Mayo and Meath and the westerners’ only victory came when they won their last All-Ireland final 68 years ago.
Their most recent Championship clash, in the 2009 All-Ireland quarter-final, is the only time that this pairing hasn’t produced the eventual All-Ireland champions with Meath going on to win the title in 1949, ‘67 and ‘88 after semi-final victories over Mayo, along with their replayed final victory in ‘96.
In the 10 years since Meath eliminated them, Mayo have only lost to Kerry (once), Donegal (once) and Dublin (four times), all sides of obvious All-Ireland winning pedigree, at Croke Park in Championship football.
And they’ve beaten each of them there at various stages over the past decade too.
But failure to beat Meath for the first time since 1951 would put paid to Mayo’s Championship campaign with a game to spare.
Welcoming Donegal to Castlebar in a fortnight’s time would be quite the anti-climax, particularly given the optimism that they carried into the summer on the back of their last visit to Croke Park, the League final victory over Kerry on March 31.
Things have unravelled a little for James Horan since then with injuries to key players Matthew Ruane and Diarmuid O’Connor, while Paddy Durcan won’t regain fitness in time for tomorrow’s game.
Of course, Meath are in a near identical position to Mayo having lost by nine points away to Donegal last Sunday but the critical difference is that, by winning promotion in the League and reaching this stage of the Championship, they have already achieved their stated aims for 2019.
There was enough about them in Ballybofey to suggest that they can cause Mayo problems but the feeling that they are the weakest of the eight teams left in the Championship - even allowing for Cork’s Division Three status come 2020 - is difficult to shake.
Mayo’s ranking is less clear just now though they must manufacture a victory - and ideally a handsome one - to avoid their season petering out to a dreary conclusion.
PREDICTION
MAYO struggled for primary possession on their own kickout in the first half in Killarney last Sunday, though there should be opportunity for them to inflict some of that on Meath tomorrow.
Numerous teams have gone after the Meath restart with success this year, most recently last Sunday as it broke down in the latter stages against Donegal when the game went away from Andy McEntee’s side.
Mayo’s defence struggled against an at times rampant Kerry attack but the Meath forwards won’t pose the same probing questions.
VERDICT: Mayo
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