Mayo fans have a perfectly valid reason for wanting Roscommon to be crowned Connacht champions.
Standing between the Rossies and their first senior football provincial title since 2010 is a familiar foe. Galway will be looking to secure their second successive Connacht final win over Roscommon in Pearse Stadium on Sunday.
Mayo, who were bested by the Tribesmen in the semi-finals, will be hoping that Roscommon exact revenge for last year’s defeat. The championship draw has a far greater chance of shaping up better for them if that’s how the game finishes.
Mayo 4 Sam…. https://t.co/ksbo1cpv33
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 11, 2017
On that side of the championship draw, the teams who qualified for the quarter-finals through the back door system must play either the Munster or Connacht champions. So if Roscommon win, Mayo will automatically play Cork in round four, while Galway will face Donegal. If Mayo overcome the Rebels, then they will enter an open draw to play either Kerry or Roscommon in the final eight.
However, if Galway were to defeat Roscommon on Sunday, Mayo wouldn’t be able to face them again in the quarter-final stage. The GAA rule that teams who have met in the championship before should not play each other again ‘where possible’ would mean that Mayo would have to play Kerry in the quarter-finals if they get through round four in this scenario.
We’re no mathematicians, but we’re pretty sure 100% chance of something happening is greater than a 50% one.
