"It kind of gives every other county that hope" July 30, 2026Mayo manager Andy Moran and Jack Coyne celebrate with the Sam Maguire Cup ©INPHO/James Crombie Mayo manager Andy Moran and Jack Coyne celebrate with the Sam Maguire Cup ©INPHO/James CrombieWestmeath star John Heslin reckons that other counties can be buoyed by Mayo’s remarkable feat this season. Having exited the Connacht championship at the semi-final stage after a 10-point defeat to Roscommon in April, Andy Moran’s men bounced back to reach the knock-out stages of the Sam Maguire race which concluded with them upsetting Kerry on Sunday at Croke Park. "Yeah, of course, and I think that's probably one thing that's gone under the radar a little bit with Mayo winning is that, I think Mark (McHugh) might have said it himself on ‘The Sunday Game’, that it kind of gives every other county that hope and as a sportsperson you just want to have that hope and that chance. On his own plans for next season, the 34-year-old added: "(I'm) still a current Westmeath footballer anyway. I was golfing with Mark McHugh a couple of weeks ago and he didn't tell me to retire yet, so current for now.”