If Galway can perform to their potential, they 'won't be far away' against Mayo in tomorrow's Connacht SFC final, according to centre-back Gary O'Donnell.

Alan Mulholland's emerging side have claimed the scalps of London and Sligo en route to the provincial decider amidst a growing sense of optimism surrounding their future prospects.

"The team has evolved a lot," O'Donnell - a first cousin of Galway great Ja Fallon - said to the Irish Independent.

"Against London and Sligo, it was really the younger crop of players who made their mark on the game, so that was encouraging.

"We seemed to have very good records in the underage in previous years with minor and U-21 in particular, so hopefully we can bring that to senior success."

Four-in-a-row chasing Mayo are, however, a different kettle of fish compared to London and Sligo.

"They're going for four in a row in Connacht. They've really raised the bar over the last four or five years, I think it's just up to the rest of us to get up there with them.

"Roscommon showed they can compete in the semi-final, but any time Galway meet Mayo, they are usually tight games with the exception of last year.

"But we will be looking to go to the Connacht final to put in a big performance and that's the only thing we can focus on and I think if we can do that, we won't be far away." Tweet

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