"With a new regime coming in - you always want to start with a win. It builds confidence. If we were travelling up the road this evening on the back of a defeat, it would make it hard going in on Tuesday night."

It was a pleasant bus journey home from Kerry for Mayo joint-manager Noel Connelly and his players.

"It's the first game we've lost since last April against Cork in Tralee, so it is disappointing. Mayo were just better than us. You can see they are further ahead; they have a bit more training done than us."

The All-Ireland champions have a bit of work to do on the training field according to Eamonn Fitzmaurice.

"People say what they want. It doesn't really bother the team or me. It's news to me if this Cork team is relegation fodder. We have a very good bunch there today, unbelievably committed, loyal men. They have been through thick and thin in the last couple of months."

Brian Cuthbert and Cork proved their critics wrong against Dublin.

"We've got a squad of players and they need to be given game-time, to experience what the elite level football is about."

Jim Gavin will continue to give the fringe players on his Dublin squad the chance to show what they can do at inter-county level.

"There were several dubious decisions including a penalty award, the red card shown to Robbie Kiely and the fact that additional injury-time was played when the referee had been informed time was up."

Peter Creedon was less than complimentary about the performance of referee David Coldrick in the Athletic Grounds.

"It's a home game, it's two points lost and going to Mayo looking for two more doesn't seem an easy task now. It seems even more of a challenge, but it's one we have to go and face."

Things aren't going to get any easier for Mickey Harte and Tyrone.

"After the McKenna Cup we weren't too sure where we stood. We just got three games in it but we knew we were training well and we put a lot of work in."

Malachy O'Rourke was quietly confident heading up to Healy Park.

"Of course we want to get back to Division 1 but at the end of the day we need to make sure that players know what they're doing, they have to work hard together and the results will take care of themselves."

The Galway football team is very much a work-in-progress under new manager Kevin Walsh.

"It was a shocking performance. We went 20 minutes without scoring after winning a free in the first minute. That's not acceptable."

Meath's Mick O'Dowd was at a loss to explain his side's dismal display in Pearse Stadium.

"Maybe the scoreline does flatter us a little, with two of those goals coming right at the end, but I certainly think we deserved the two points. Our players worked very hard."

Down late smash and grab raid wasn't a fluke in the opinion of Jim McCorry.

"I'd still see some positives, in that we were winning that game right at the finish. But it was a stinker of a finish."

Jason Ryan summed up the feeling in the Lilywhite dressing-room.

"We're delighted. It relieves a wee bit of immediate pressure. Points will be hard come by, but it's good to get off to a winning start in front of our supporters."

Rory Gallagher was happy that his Donegal players gave their supporters something to cheer about.

"I thought that we had a very good penalty claim, but didn't get it and Donegal go up the field, score a goal and it's game over."

Brian McIver highlighted the turning point in the Oak Leafers loss.

"The reality was that we had more recognised first-teamers than Cork had. We'd have been expected to win it and we were expecting to win it ourselves."

Limerick and TJ Ryan weren't getting carried away following their Waterford Crystal Cup success over Cork.

"Working of a panel of 31 or 32 is what we want to get to so we'll have to make the calls. You'd be hoping that, every year, you'd get one or two more. We had nothing decided before this, but the Waterford Crystal has put one or two fellas into position."

Cork selector Seanie McGrath wasn't too disappointed with the final result.

"These games give us a chance to look at different things, to see can players be versatile and play in different positions. We just want to see if guys can adapt. This is what the Walsh Cup gives us, an opportunity to see how it goes, but nothing is set in stone yet."

The Walsh Cup is giving Dublin hurling boss Ger Cunningham the opportunity to experiment.

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