Roscommon manager John Evans expects Mayo to beat his native Kerry in Sunday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final.

The Killorglin man knows a thing or two about both teams, with his Roscommon team having come within a whisker of shocking Mayo in their Connacht SFC semi-final clash on June 8 last. However, he feels James Horan's men are on a mission to atone for past disappointments this year.

"That's one of the differences I saw in Mayo this summer, after they beat us in the Connacht semi-final," he says in the Irish Times.

"And that was the absolute delight and joy in the faces of their players, when they got over the line, in Dr Hyde Park. It might have been the getting out of jail, but when you see players celebrating like that, you know their heads are in the right place.

"The only other time we've really seen it this summer was with Donegal, and when Jim McGuinness won Ulster back. That to me is an indication of their energy, and motivation, and that's important."

He continued: "Mayo's strength would be around the middle eight, really, as in half backs, midfield, and half-forward," says Evans, who this week also agreed an extension to his term as Roscommon manager, which will see him through until at least the end of 2015.

"They have a lot of physicality in there, a lot of ball-winning attributes, and also improved their mobility. Kerry do have good workers in that area too, in Donncha Walsh, Declan O'Sullivan, and Anthony Maher. Although Kerry should have the physicality too.

"So I think Mayo have to be very, very wary of this Kerry full forward line. And that might mean taking something from that middle eight, to provide some cover for their own full back line. At the same time, their driving half-back line can't afford to cut forward as much."

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