Mayo’s All-Ireland win has captured the country as they have finally ended 75 years of pain.

With a win over Kerry on Sunday, they finally won their first All-Ireland Final since 1951 after 11 consecutive final defeats, and it finally ends the rumoured curse which a priest put on them after their 1951 celebrations.

There were many stars that played a role in Mayo’s victory on Sunday, from Ryan O’Donoghue’s talismanic display covering every blade of grass to Kobe McDonald’s silky display way beyond his 18 years.

However, one aspect of Mayo’s win which may go unsung is their work done off the pitch. Andy Moran’s side played an intense, high-press style of play which suffocated Kerry for much of the final, especially during that third quarter blitz which saw them go four points ahead.

Mayo have played with such intensity all season, with many critics saying that while effective, it wasn’t a tactic that will last in the long run as players will tire out.

Well, as Smaller Fish pointed out on X, not a single player went down with cramp on Sunday after a long season with a hundred training sessions working on the most intense style of defence on show in the Championship this season.

One of the men who deserves credit has to be Arsenal’s Lead Strength & Conditioning Coach, Barry Solan.

Solan hails from Mayo and is a renowned S&C Coach and a true GAA man, having played for London in an All-Ireland qualifier against Westmeath in 2006.

His first S&C job came with Kildare before working on the Mayo senior team, where he was until his move to Arsenal in 2015 to be a part of the first team with the Premier League giants.

He’s the lead S&C Coach with the Gunners, but has consistently managed to balance his day job in London with helping out his county over the years.

When his brother Mike Solan was in the picture for the Mayo managerial job back in 2022, there was a report that Barry would work with his brother on the coaching ticket.

But even if his brother didn’t get the gig, Solan has continued working with Mayo, most recently with his long-time friend Andy Moran in a consultancy role with Conor Finn, who himself is a former professional rugby player with Connacht, taking day-to-day control of Mayo’s S&C work.

Solan now has a pretty impressive CV with both Mayo and Arsenal ending long title droughts this year off the back of an intense style of play, which he helps implement.