Mayo’s statement of intent

Galway 0-11 Mayo 4-16

This wasn’t to be a victory, but a statement.

Thousands of the home support in the 16,243 crowd had left 12 minutes earlier when Lee Keegan’s point put Mayo 12 points ahead and the gulf between these neighbours — never mind Division 1 and 2 — was well and truly exposed.

Frustrated and angry, a few among the 13 remaining Galway players were threatening the type of rash behaviour that had seen Garreth Bradshaw and Niall Coleman sent off earlier in the second half.

But Horan was encouraging his players not to let up and show any sort of sympathy to opponents who had long lost the contest.

His men responded, although with none of the showmanship that teams so far ahead can be guilty of on occasions. They simply matched the aggressiveness, finishing the final six minutes with 1-3 without reply.

How appropriate it was that the cherry on the cake was placed by captain Andy Moran who was robustly cheered onto the pitch as a 61st minute substitute in his first appearance for the county since last August’s cruel cruciate injury. His goal confirmed the county’s biggest Championship win over their neighbours since 1907. We can’t attest to the manner of that particular 17-point triumph but we can firmly say yesterday was an occasion when Mayo had their boots on Galway’s necks and weren’t in any mood to take off the weight.

In two short weeks, Galway football has gone from ecstasy in winning a second All-Ireland U21 title in three years to the sort of agony that, given this display and their qualifier record in recent times, won’t be eased any time this year.

Alan Mulholland comes across as an affable and shrewd observer of the game but there appeared to be little thought put into the match-ups as they lined out across the pitch as per the match programme.

Mayo, on the other hand, got their markings oh so right with Vaughan’s shadowing of Thomas Flynn a particularly accurate one.

Horan’s side had broken the back of this accomplishment in the first half which they finished 3-9 to 0-6 to the good.

Even before Manus Breathnach was taking the ball out of his net for the first time in the 15th minute, the signs were ominous for Galway.

Kevin McLoughlin was lording the breaking ball in midfield and, as much as Mayo resorted to a lot of short restarts, the Knockmore man was the primary reason for the 14-8 kick-out count in his team’s favour.

McLoughlin’s DNA was all over four of Mayo’s early scores and he undoubtedly set the example for the tenacity shown by the forward unit.

All in all, they managed to transform five turnovers into 2-3 in the first half although Carolan’s goal was down to his composure to kick it in from the ground and Alan Freeman’s assist.

The first turnover score came in the 18th minute when a poor Colin Forde free was intercepted and Cillian O’Connor extended Mayo’s lead to four, 1-6 to 0-4.

Fit-again Alan Dillon made it six in the 26th minute when the Galway defence found themselves constricted to the point of surrendering possession.

Worse was to follow for Galway when Thomas Flynn was dispossessed and a quick exchange involving McLoughlin, O’Connor and Enda Varley saw the latter fire past Breathnach.

The turnovers, surely a credit to new coach Donie Buckley’s tackling expertise, just kept on coming and Gary Sice was the guilty party when Donal Vaughan found nobody between him and the goal to tap the ball into the net in the 34th minute.

As much as Mayo took almost 15 minutes to register their first point in the second half, clearly going so far ahead was going to have some effect on them.

Fiontán Ó Curraoin and Danny Cummins had goal attempts easily saved by David Clarke and Michael Meehan was on his lonesome in attempting to engineer a comeback.

The loss of Bradshaw four minutes into the new half following an altercation which left Carolan on the ground only made Galway’s hill steeper and when Coleman was sent to the line in the 52nd minute for striking Dillon, all hope was gone for Alan Mulholland’s side.

Keith Higgins may have had to come to the rescue to keep Clarke’s sheet clean in the 59th minute but what was left was a procession festooned by the cheers for Dillon as he left the fray and Moran as he came on.

Considering the infancy of this Championship and how unreliable Connacht quarter-finals are, we would keep the jury out on the nature of this result were it not for what we already know about Mayo.

Scorers for Galway: M Meehan 0-5 (4f, 1 45); D Cummins, S Armstrong (frees) 0-2 each; P Conroy, S Walsh (f) 0-1 each.

Scorers for Mayo: E Varley 1-3; C O’Connor 0-6 (4 frees); D Vaughan 1-1; C Carolan, A Moran 1-0 each; A Dillon 0-2; A Freeman, L Keegan, R Feeney, D Coen 0-1 each.

GALWAY: M Breathnach; J Duane, C Forde, G Sweeney; G Bradshaw, K Kelly, G Sice; N Coleman, F Ó Curraoin; T Flynn, P Conroy, C Doherty; S Armstrong, M Meehan, D Cummins.

Subs for Galway: S Walsh for Doherty (45); J Moore for Sweeney (h-t); G O’Donnell for Armstrong (54); E Concannon for Sice and M Martin for Meehan (both 61).

MAYO: D Clarke; K Higgins; T Cunniffe, G Cafferkey; L Keegan, C Boyle, D Vaughan; S O’Shea, A O’Shea; K McLoughlin, C O’Connor, C Carolan; E Varley, A Freeman, A Dillon.

Subs for Mayo: S McHale for Cafferkey (h-t); R Feeney for Freeman (54); D Coen for Dillon (58); J Burke for Keegan (59); A Moran for Carolan (61); J Gibbons for A O’Shea (blood sub 69).

Referee: Marty Duffy (Sligo).