Mayo complete comeback to pip Meath to All-Ireland quarter-final spot
Jordan Flynn celebrates scoring a two-pointer in Castlebar. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Mayo rattled off a dozen of the last 14 points in a dramatic Saturday night All-Ireland Round 3 tie to edge a Meath side that had to play the last 15 minutes with just 14 men to a place in the quarter-finals.
Sweeping turnarounds are never off the table under Gaelic football’s new rules but it was hard to see how Andy Moran’s men could fashion a result like this after an awful first half-hour when they were miles off the pace.
There’s wasn’t a hair’s breadth to choose between these two prior to throw-in. Newspaper previews, podcasts, chats on the radio: no-one seemed to be leaning either way with any conviction. Then Meath went and lorded the first half-hour.
Robbie Brennan’s side was excellent in that spell.
They secured kickouts with a succession of short options, profited more than a bit on Mayo’s, turned over quite a bit of ball and found a reliable route through to the Mayo goal to build up a 2-8 to 0-7 half-time lead.
Mayo’s defence, so suspect for much of the year, had been so much more secure in that one-point Round 2A loss to Tyrone in Omagh the week before but it opened like the Red Sea at the sight of Moses too often here.
Jack Livingstone added to his collection of stunning saves by turning Jack O’Connor’s low strike around his post after only five minutes but Ciaran Caulfield and Sean Coffy both found the net after 16 and 25 minutes.
Both goals came from runs from the deep and through the midfield of a defence that melted in the late evening sun. Add in the jinks and the tricks of James Conlon and Jordan Morris up front and they were tearing a poor Mayo side to shreds.
Meath looked a much more coached side than the hosts. They ran at their men and interlinked passes over and back. They found direct lines through, they passed with patience with needs be around the arc, and they launched the odd curveball too.
Mayo were depending on the individual brilliance of Kobe McDonald to keep them in touch. The youngster had one shot turned away by Sean Brennan after 23 minutes but it was only with five to go to the break that Mayo began to find a stride.
Enda Hession landed two points in a spell where they outscored Meath by five to three. It was a start, a belated one, with manager Andy Moran having already seen fit to throw Diarmuid O’Connor and Tommy Conroy into the mix.
Meath weren’t nearly home and hosed. A strong diagonal wind had been blowing mostly in their favour up to then, they had left at least two more goals and six point attempts behind them and still held memories of an eight-point frittered away to Cork.
It took time for any hint of a fightback.
Meath were still the seven points to the good 13 minutes into the next half but Mayo gradually began to work the odd turnover and put some pressure on the Meath kickout. It was enough for the home fans to find their voice.
Hession had a low shot turned back by Brennan after 50 minutes but the deficit kept decreasing incrementally, Meath’s odd point at this stage not enough to keep the growing possibility of a dramatic turn out of arm’s reach.
The gap was just four points when Meath’s Ronan Jones saw red for an off-the-ball incident with Jack Coyne. Jones had only been on the pitch three minutes. Now Meath couldn’t buy possession on their own kick and the worm had very much turned.
Jordan Flynn was soon kicking over his second two-pointer and Tommy Conroy was kicking his third score after coming off the bench. Mayo were level within three minutes of Jones’ rush of blood to the head having made eight of the last nine points.
Still a dozen minutes left though.
The lead for Mayo came a two-pointer from Jack Carney. Ryan O’Donoghue’s fourth of the day doubled it. Kobe McDonald’s fourth added to it again. Unfathomable, incredible, breathtaking stuff in front of a crowd of 15,627.
Into Monday’s last eight draw Mayo go.
J Flynn (0-5, 2tp); R O’Donoghue (0-4, 1f); K McDonald (0-4, 1 ‘45’); Conroy (0-3); E Hession (0-2); J Carney (0-2, 1tp); B Tuohy and C McHale (both 0-1).
C Caulfield and S Coffey (both 1-1); J Morris, J O’Connor and J Conlon (both 0-2); S Brennan (0-1 ‘45’); B Menton, C McBride, M Costello, J Flynn (all 0-1).
J Livingston; J Coyne, D McHugh, E McGreal; S Callinan, D McBrien, E Hession; J Flynn, J Carney; P Durcan, C Loftus, S Coen; D Beirne, R O’Donoghue, K McDonald.
D O’Connor for Durcan (16); T Conroy for Beirne (28); C McHale for Loftus (40); M Ruane for Tuohy (54); S Coen for Flynn (63).
S Brennan; S Lavin, S Rafferty, K Smyth; D Keogan, B Menton; S Coffey; C McBride, J Flynn; J O’Connor, M Costello, C Caulfield; J Morris, J Conlon, E Frayne.
B O’Halloran for Smyth (44); R Jones for McBride and C O’Connor for Flynn (both 51); C Hickey for Costello (53); J McEntee for Frayne (58).
P Faloon (Down).
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