COUNTY FINAL VERDICT: "It will be a major shock if the Moclair Cup changes hands"

SOMETIMES what we hope for and what we get can be poles apart.

Expectation can blind us to the reality that football semi-finals are there to be won and it matters not a jot whether or not the games are garnished with moments of class and top grade performances.

Sunday at Elverys MacHale Park was one of those afternoons when a sizeable crowd came anticipating two crackers but instead in their places had to endure games that fell well short of the expected standards.

Given the involvement of so many of the current Mayo senior squad and, with arguably the best four teams in Mayo on view, patrons expected better than was delivered and most left underwhelmed by the end.

Breaffy were touted as warm favourites to see off the challenge of Knockmore. The north Mayo men delivered little in their quarterfinal win over Aghamore to suggest that they had the personnel or the game plan to beat last year's beaten county finalists.

However, in an opening spell where Kevin McLoughlin and Keith Ruttledge fired over three excellent scores, it became apparent that Ray McHale’s team were primed for battle and prepared to suck Breaffy into a war of attrition.

When McLoughlin nailed his second score of the game midway through the opening half we were left in no doubt about Knockmore’s commitment to the cause. That particular score, their sixth, was stunning in its simplicity and execution.

A slick one-two, a look at the posts and a radar-directed kick accurately reflected his and his teammates' levels of intensity and desire.

In general play Knockmore had the edge. Quite simply they never allowed Breaffy play and their plan to blot out the threat of Aidan O’Shea worked. Andrew Keane devoted all his concentration on neutralising the impact of O’Shea.

He was booked in the first half, rode his luck on numerous occasions thereafter and, by the time an over-indulgent referee dismissed him in the latter stages of the game, he had restricted the influence of Breaffy’s main man. Some of the abuse O’Shea endured was beyond what was acceptable but it reflected the general niggly tenor of the game.

Breaffy's sole moment of note was Tommy Reilly's goal in the second quarter. Liam Irwin, who had a quiet outing, fed Kevin Curry whose deft pass left Reilly with an easy task of finishing.

The score, when it came, left the minimum between the teams but this was a complete distortion of the game's trend. Knockmore were, in most facets of play, superior. Their two-point interval lead did scant justice to the authority they exerted or their superior levels of application.

Though the second half yielded only a total of seven scores, you never got a sense that Breaffy would win. Even the introduction of a clearly unfit Seamie O’Shea did little to lift their spirits and when they review their performance they will realise that they came up really short of the standards to which they had aspired.

Only two of their starting forwards, Kevin Curry and Tommy Reilly, scored from play and throughout they struggled to make inroads on a tigerish Knockmore team, for whom Kevin McLoughlin played a starring role.

Indeed, of all the county players in action over the two games, he was by far the most impressive. His energy and leadership never flagged and though he misplaced the odd pass he was still in the thick of things at the end.

Unfortunately, the seam of nastiness and unsavoury behaviour that marred the game spilled over after the final whistle. We will watch with interest to see if retrospective action follows from the county board.

Last week I made the point that Castlebar Mitchels' chances of beating Ballintubber would hinge on their ability to deal with the twin threats of Cillian and Diarmuid O’Connor.

By detailing Ger McDonagh to mark Cillian and Paddy Durcan to take Diarmuid, the Mitchels succeeded in minimising the influence of the brothers on whose shoulders Ballintubbe'rs hopes rested.

In a game that in many ways was a mirror image of the earlier encounter, Castlebar grabbed the initiative from the start and had raced into a five-point lead by the end of the opening quarter.

Neil Douglas led the way with a brace of early scores from play. With three further points from frees bookending a gorgeous score from Cian Costello the Mitchels were fully deserving of their four-point interval lead.

Ballintubber found it hard, indeed impossible, to penetrate their opponents defensive blanket. An illustration of Mitchels dominance in this regard is that Ballintubber failed to score from play until practically the last kick of the game when Danny Geragthy netted from close range.

Maybe I'm clutching at straws when I mention that had a missed opportunity by Alan Plunkett found the net the outcome may have been different, but the truth is that Castlebar were superior all over the field.

From Rory Byrne, who cleared his lines impressively on a number of occasions late in the game, to a flinty defence that gave little room to their opponents, and right through to Neil Douglas who led his forward division impressively, Mitchels were the better team.

With a gluttonous zest for work, they never looked in danger at any time even though little separated the teams on the scoreboard. David Stenson’s late goal gave a more realistic picture of the gulf that lay between the teams on the day.

Next Saturday Mitchels will go in as hot favourites to win their third title in a row. They can expect a Knockmore team that will bring loads of determination and spirit to the occasion.

As is their tradition, the north Mayo lads will play themselves to a standstill but, given that they are in the early stages of development, I think they will lack the all-round experience and ability of the reigning champions. It will be a major shock if the Moclair Cup changes hand.