Everything was on the line for the county’s women footballers at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park as nothing other than a win over Laois in this afternoon’s final group stage match would have kept Mayo’s season alive. In the end, they did so handsomely, crushing the challenge of the O’Moore County by 2-15 to 0-8 to advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals and a repeat encounter there with Galway.

The Green and Red were to the fore in this afternoon’s game right from the throw-in. They established a strong position in the game from the off, banging over the first seven points. A goal from Sinéad Walsh just before the break all put the result beyond doubt, as the home team took a 1-9 to 0-2 lead into half-time.

Sinéad Cafferkey bagged our second goal early in the second half and it was plain sailing from there to the finish. Michael Moyles’ charges won by thirteen points in the end.

Match reports: Mayo News, Connaught Telegraph, RTÉ, Irish Examiner, Ladies Gaelic.

The draw for the All-Ireland quarter-finals were made this afternoon and in it we’ve been paired with Galway. We beat them in the Connacht final in May, so repeat pairings clearly aren’t an issue for the LGFA.

This match will be played on the weekend of 15th/16th July so, if the lads manage to prevail tomorrow, the women’s game will be played the same weekend, perhaps even the same day, as the men’s All-Ireland semi-final.

By the way, today’s match at MacHale Park featured a protest by both sets of players as part of the nationwide campaign by inter-county camogie and women’s football panels over what they see as foot-dragging by the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association on the development of a charter for inter-county players. Report on today’s protest is here.

Well done to the team on today’s win and the best of luck to them in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

Mayo: Laura Brennan; Éilis Ronayne (0-1), Ciara McManamon, Danielle Caldwell; Saoirse Lally, Ciara Needham (0-1), Kathryn Sullivan; Aoife Geraghty, Fiona McHale; Maria Cannon, Sinéad Cafferky (1-4), Saoirse Delaney; Shauna Howley (0-3, one free), Deirdre Doherty (0-1), Sinéad Walsh (1-5). Subs: Maria Reilly for Doherty , Sarah Tierney for McHale, Róisín Durkan for Sullivan, Erin Murray for Needham.