By Cian O'Connell

"Relieved, quite satisfied, delighted, and there is a part of me saying, ‘cool down now,’ because we have to get ready for next Sunday," was Mayo manager Kevin McStay's immediate reaction following the Allianz Football League Division One decider at Croke Park.

Mayo host Roscommon in an eagerly anticipated Connacht Championship clash in Castlebar on April 9.

Following an encouraging league campaign, though, McStay is delighted that silverware was secured at GAA headquarters.

"Overall I’m just delighted," McStay added. "It’s great to come up and win a national title, so very pleased."

How important was it for Mayo to prevail against Galway in this encounter? "We’ve won lots of national titles here before, this team hasn’t, this current Mayo team," McStay remarked.

"I think it’s important in terms of their development, I think they’ll take a lot of confidence, I think we all will, from the manner of the victory because there were plenty of errors.

"I think we still showed the greater desire to win it, which is always nice, and I think we’ll take a lot of momentum, a lot of confidence from winning today.

"I’m very away of how dangerous next week’s fixture is and there is part of me already where my brain is jumping to that, I’m kind of nearly afraid to talk about what happened today, in one respect."

McStay is relishing the next challenge with Mayo, a clash against Roscommon, but the green and red didn't consider adopting a different approach for the league final.

"No, we’re competitive animals," McStay replied. "In fairness we knew about this fixture for the last three months or whatever so that was always in the plan and in the way the backroom team went about preparing the team, so there was no issue about our energy or our fitness.

"It’s just the psychology of putting a lot into a big match like today, which was added to by the fact of who our opponents were and then jumping straight back to a game where there will be a lot of expectation.

"But I’m really looking forward to that challenge now, of our team playing with added expectation now that we’ve won the national league."