Laois manager Justin McNulty is adamant that last Sunday's impressive performance against Wexford in the O'Byrne Shield final wouldn't be good enough to beat Mayo.

The Connacht champions, who also collected silverware last weekend in the form of the FBD Connacht League title, visit O'Moore Park on Saturday night for the opening round of the NFL, and McNulty is expecting them to be a totally different proposition to the Model men.

"We simply have to perform to a much higher standard than we did against Wexford or else we simply won't be competing with the likes of Mayo or Donegal, who are two serious All-Ireland contenders," he said.

"They are a really form team and have shown in the last couple of championships just what a good side they are.

"We just got a bit of a run on Wexford (to lead by 1-5 to 0-2 after 24 minutes) and then we were able to defend more effectively. We wouldn't read much into that result because the O'Byrne Cup is only a build-up to the season ahead, and we have to get a lot better to stand any chance in this league." Tweet

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