Mayo got their championship season back on track with a comfortable win over Cavan in Castlebar.
Cavan came to MacHale Park looking to cause an upset but never looked like getting the better of the home side who had one veteran replacing another in the starting 15 when Cillian O'Connor came into the team ahead of Aidan O'Shea.
O'Connor ended the match with four points to his name and the leading scorer in championship football looked impressive from first whistle to last.
Cavan will be very unhappy with their performance. They looked disjointed in attack and rarely threatened the Mayo posts in any meaningful manner.
The first half ended with Mayo four clear, 0-09 to 0-05, despite playing into a stiff breeze.
Both sides were somewhat hesitant, with Mayo showing reluctance to move the ball quickly when goal chances arrived, and Cavan looking rudderless up front.
However, Mayo did use the ball smartly in the middle third and their movement looked good up front.
Cavan seemed well off the pace, but remained in contention as Oisín Brady converted three frees while midfielder Oisín Kiernan, of Denn, and wing-forward Ciarán Brady also troubled the umpires.
However, the home side were dominant throughout the opening half with Matthew Ruane and Diarmuid O'Connor doing well around the middle, and Ryan O'Donoghue busy in attack.
At the back, Mayo were comfortable for the most part. Cavan did have a sniff of a goal after 26 minutes when wing-forward Oisín Kiernan, of Castlerahan, burst through but Mayo men swarmed around him and smothered the danger.
At the other end, goal chances for Darren McHale and Matthew Ruane finished up over the crossbar and that trend continued in the second half when a driller from Cillian O'Connor flew just over.
Cavan needed a surge early in the second half to revive their fortunes but it failed to materialise as Mayo controlled matters around the middle with Diarmuid O'Connor, Ruane, Jordan Flynn and Jack Carney seeing a lot of the ball.
O'Donoghue continued to kick points for the leaders and he was joined on the scoreboard by Stephen Coen, Conor Loftus and McHale.
Cavan needed a goal to have any chance but opportunities were squandered when they arrived. Paddy Meade punched an effort wide when he had more time in front of the posts than he realised and Pádraig Faulkner shot for goal after 58 minutes but Diarmuid O'Connor was well-placed to block the shot on the line and the Ulster men found themselves trailing 0-07 to 0-16 at the hour mark.
However, moments later they did get a badly-needed net-shaker when James Smith blasted home after Tíarnan Madden's effort had been blocked by O'Donoghue.
That gave Cavan a glimmer of hope but points from Cillian O'Connor and O'Donoghue in the following minute soon dampened any hope of a close finish.
A good day for Mayo was clouded somewhat in the last play of the day when team captain Paddy Durcan, who had been introduced from the sub's bench, seemed to pick up a leg injury and had to be carried off as supporters raced on to celebrate victory. The Castlebar Mitchels clubman had just returned to action after a calf injury and his latest setback will surely worry Kevin McStay as his team prepare to face Roscommon in the next round.
Mayo: C Reape; J Coyne, D McBrien, S Callinan; S Coen (0-01), D McHugh, E McLaughlin (0-01); M Ruane (0-03), D O'Connor; J Carney (0-01), D McHale (0-02), J Flynn; C O'Connor (0-04), T Conroy, R O'Donoghue (0-07. 0-04fs).
Subs: C Loftus (0-01) for McHugh (47), B Tuohy for Carney (47), P Durcan for McLaughlin (56), A O'Shea for Conroy (56), P Towey for Ruane (63).
Cavan: G O'Rourke; C Reilly, K Brady, B O'Connell; N Carolan, P Faulkner, Conor Brady; J Smith (1-00), Ciaran Brady (0-01); C Rehill, G Smith, O Kiernan (Castlerahan); O Brady (0-05, 0-05fs), O Kiernan (Denn) (0-01), J McLoughlin.
Subs: T Madden (0-01) for K Brady (20), L Fortune for Rehill (30), C Madden for Carolan (ht), C O'Reilly for Kiernan (Castlerahan) (47), D Lovett for Conor Brady (66).
Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).
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