Monaghan cry foul but annual Mayo pilgrimage begins
4 June 2022; Jack Carney of Mayo in action against Monaghan players Ryan Wylie, left, and Kieran Duffy during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 1 match between Mayo and Monaghan at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar, Mayo. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Mayo 1-13 Monaghan 0-12
The times they are a-changing. Controversy reigned at the end of Saturday’s All-Ireland qualifier in Castlebar. Refereeing decisions were central to every conversation, but Mayo were completely removed from them. For once, the western warriors could watch on as another county wrestled with emotional turmoil at the end of a championship blockbuster.
Monaghan football followers will etch Saturday evening’s match into their hearts forever more. They may even carry a sense of hurt into future generations, but Mayo, on the other hand will move on to next weekend’s qualifiers and the challenge awaiting them there.
“It’s great to be in Monday’s draw. It’s great to have won a game and we’re looking forward to it,” James Horan stated after Saturday’s hard-fought clash in the sunshine.
“It’s good to have beaten Monaghan in a pressure game. We weren’t sure where we were because it has been a while since we played. It was great to come out and get the win. There were loads of mistakes but there was loads of honesty and effort that got us through in the end,” the Ballintubber clubman told the waiting press pack.
Across the dressing room corridor, things weren’t as harmonious. Monaghan faces wore the signs of bitter disappointment, and they also carried an added cargo of ‘what might have been.’ The Ulster men were adamant that they should have been awarded a penalty in injury time when there were just three points separating the teams. They also believed a penalty should have been theirs earlier in the game for a foot-bock while the first-quarter black card handed out to ace attacker Conor McManus was under the microscope too.
“We think there was a stonewall penalty there at the end. We were robbed of a penalty, we were robbed of extra time and we were robbed of another opportunity. There’s no grey area for me. It was an absolute stonewall penalty,” team boss Seamus McEnaney stated in the minutes after the final whistle.
“A couple of other decisions … I didn’t see the Mayo penalty. It was touch and go? Had we a foot block … had we two penalty opportunities in the last ten minutes? We felt we had.
“I’m 20 years managing teams and I’m 15 years Monaghan off and on between different teams. I never ever complained about a referee in all my lifetime. But today was disgraceful as far as we're concerned.”
McEnaney’s comments may get him in hot water with GAA authorities in the coming weeks, but his Mayo counterpart has no such worries.
James Horan is looking at the possibility of another assault on the Holy Grail, another run at the roses. The annual Mayo pilgrimage took time to get underway on Saturday as Monaghan began explosively with two Gary Mohan points, but a black card flashed to Conor McManus after six minutes rattled the guests.
Within minutes, Mayo were awarded a penalty when Oisin Mullin’s goal effort was blocked by a Monaghan boot and Cillian O’Connor flashed the subsequent spot-kick to the roof of Rory Beggan’s net.
While McManus was kicking his heels in the sin-bin, Mayo tacked on 1-3, and Monaghan failed to raise a flag. In this period, Beggan also kicked two placed balls wide of the posts and the home side were beginning to take charge.
Mayo were 1-7 to 0-7 clear at the break and Cillian O’Connor put four between the sides in the first minute of the second half, but Mayo would not score again for 20 minutes. Indeed, Monaghan were little better at the other end. Their best player, Jack McCarron was busy, but their general forward play was disappointing and all they could add in the first 20 minutes of the second half were points from Kieran Duffy and Mícheál Bannigan. McManus was relatively anonymous and sent a kickable free wide as opportunities came and went.
Eventually, Mayo’s talismanic defender Lee Keegan raced forward to kick a fine point and the home side were five clear going into injury time, 1-12 to 0-10.
Then, the tide began to run. Shane Carey and Conor Leonard kicked points to close the gap to three before a misplaced pass in the Mayo goalmouth created panic and when Leonard went to ground the large Monaghan following bellowed for a penalty. However, no whistle sounded and Mayo swept down the pitch for the impressive Paddy Durcan to put four between the sides and send Mayo into the next round.
C O’Connor (1-6, 1-0 pen, 5f), L Keegan (0-1), P Durcan (0-1), E McLaughlin (0-1), M Ruane (0-1), J Carney (0-1), D McHale (0-1), R Hennelly (0-1)
J McCarron (0-3, 1m), G Mohan (0-2), S Carey (0-2. 2f), CMcManus (0-1, 1f), K Duffy (0-1), CLeonard (0-1), M Brannigan (0-1)
R Hennelly; L Keegan, O Mullin, E Hession; P Durcan, S Coen, E McLaughlin; A O’Shea, M Ruane; B Walsh, A Orme, D O’Connor; J Carr, J Carney, C O’Connor.
K McLoughlin for Carr, D McHale for Orme, C Loftus for Walsh, J Doherty for Carney, P O’Hora for C O’Connor.
R Beggan; K Duffy, C Boyle, R Wylie; K O’Connell, D Ward, R McAnespie; D Hughes, N Kearns; C McCarthy, K Hughes, M Brannigan; J McCarron, G Mohan, C McManus.
A Woods for Hughes, C Leonard for McCarthy, S Carey for McManus, S Jones for Bannigan, F Kelly for Hugues.
B Cassidy (Derry).
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