Another All-Ireland football championship reaches its climax on September 26 when Connacht champions Mayo face their counterparts from the south, Kerry, in what promises to be an exciting Sam Maguire Cup decider. For Mayo, the final provides a golden opportunity to bury 53 years of failure and frustration. All-Ireland glory was within Mayo's grasp in 1989, '96 and '97 but each time they came up short. In the latter year, the Westerners flopped badly against Kerry so they will be particularly anxious to make amends against the same opposition this time around. Under the guidance of John Maughan, Mayo have been a much improved outfit this season, capturing the Connacht title with surprising ease before dethroning champions Tyrone in the All-Ireland quarter-final. They failed to scale the same heights against Fermanagh in the drawn and replayed semi-finals, but their battling qualities were evident in both games and they eventually came through with two points to spare. Like all Mayo fans, Balla native Tom Costello is eagerly looking forward to the county's date with destiny. And while conceding that Kerry are favourites with the bookies, the managing director of John Sisk & Son Ltd is convinced that Mayo can upset the odds. "I'm optimistic about their chances," he says. "I've been at all their matches this year and they've impressed me greatly. They played superbly in the games against Galway and Tyrone and, while they found scores harder to come by against Fermanagh, those tough matches should stand to them. "Kerry will be a different proposition altogether but I genuinely believe that Mayo are good enough to beat them. It will all come down to whichever team is the hungrier on the day. Mayo and Kerry are equally capable of winning, but I'm hopeful that Mayo will have that extra edge." Tom, whose nephew Alan Costello is a member of the Mayo senior and under 21 panels (he has played a starring role for the under 21s in their march to the All-Ireland final against Armagh), says the mood in Mayo is one of quiet confidence and expects supporters to travel in their thousands to cheer on John Maughan's team. 'Everyone wants to be there. It's not every year that Mayo are in an All-Ireland final and when they have been there before, the results have been generally disappointing. "However, hopes are high that this will be the year when Mayo finally end their 53-year wait for All-Ireland success. Nobody wants to miss history being made and you're going to have some scramble for tickets," he says. Traditionally, Mayo supporters have tended to get carried away before major finals and this has impacted on the team's performance. But whatever about the fans, Costello doesn't believe the players will lose the run of themselves. "How to handle the hype has been a problem for Mayo in the past, but I don't think it will be a factor with this particular team. John Maughan and his selectors have done a good job in protecting the players from the hype. You also have experienced players like James Nallen, David Heaney and David Brady who have been through it all before and are able to take the pressure off the younger fellas." The biggest improvement Tom has seen in Mayo this season is their ability to rack up big scores. "What this team has that the teams of 1996 and '97 didn't have are forwards who can score three or four points each in every game. You have fellas like Kieran McDonald and Trevor and Conor Mortimer who are naturally gifted scoring forwards. Mayo's problem down the years was that they didn't produce enough scoring forwards. But thankfully that's not a problem this year," he comments. Tom is a former underage player with Balla, a club which has provided Mayo with players of the calibre of TJ Kilgallon, Pat Fallon and Maurice Sheridan. And while work commitments have taken Tom away from Balla, his brother Gerry - father of the aforementioned Alan - has remained deeply involved in the running of the club. For the past five years, Tom has been managing director of John Sisk & Son Ltd, having succeeded avid Cork hurling supporter Kevin Kelly in the position (a good omen for September 26 perhaps?). John Sisk & Son is the construction arm of the Sisk Group which was founded in 1859. Operating from the Naas Road, Clondalkin, the company is the largest general contractor in the country with turnover for this year expected to reach EUR750 million. At Sisks, clients are offered a proven quality management approach with their aim being to deliver both on time and to budget. Recently, this commitment has been achieved for clients such as Hewlett Packard, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and Coca Cola. Sisks have several projects ongoing, including Dundrum Town Centre, Scotch Hall Shopping Centre in Drogheda, Spencer Dock, Sky Court Shopping Centre in Shannon, Tipperary County Council Offices in Nenagh. St. Columba's Hotel, Sligo, Marine Institute in Galway, Analog Devices, Limerick and Janssen Pharmaceutical in Cork. Of course, Sisks have also been the main contractors to the EUR180 million Croke Park redevelopment which is now nearing completion. The redevelopment commenced after the 1993 All-Ireland football final and now, some four years ahead of the original GAA schedule, is complete with the exception of the Nally Stand corner of the Railway End. "We are delighted with the new Croke Park which I would regard as one of the best stadia in the world. Its facilities are second to none and when completed in the next few months, it will have a capacity of 82,300," Tom explains. Tom is married to Mary and they have four children aged between 11 and five, Ronan, David, Thomas and Grainne. Tweet

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