Brilliant Mayo banish years of heartbreak to at last clinch Sam
Mayo's Jack Coyne lifts the Sam Maguire Cup. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher
Seventy-five years of pain have been balmed. Mayo are All-Ireland senior football champions. You better believe it.
Triumph didn’t come without drama. History seemed to be tugging them back at the close when a five-point advantage was narrowed to two and David Clifford and Seán O’Shea twice had chances to level it.
But both chances were missed and Tommy Conroy put the game well and truly out of a hiccupping Kerry’s reach.
Mayo were brilliant. To beat the baggage, even to beat an out-of-sorts Kerry team, they had to be. Their energy was electric and whole throughout their team. Ryan O’Donoghue was a living dynamo.
Soon after a Gavin White pass intended for Graham O’Sullivan, Mayo struck their 40th minute goal, Kerry’s first concession since the opening round of the All-Ireland SFC against Donegal.
Darragh Beirne’s finish was cultivated by the irresistible O’Donoghue’s driving run. After a Keith Evans point, Jack Carney pumped over a second two-pointer and Mayo were five to the good.
They could have been out of sight but for a series of wides, several from two-point range. In the meantime, Kerry ate into their deficit and twice brought it back to a single point.
Another Mayo’s purple patch of four points came between the 58th and 62nd minutes including O’Donoghue’s second two-pointer. And still it didn’t feel enough. Not for Mayo and their weight. David Clifford converted Kerry’s only two-pointer and Paudie Clifford put over his third single score. But prevailed Mayo did.
Jack O’Connor broke the habit of a lifetime in making late change as much as it was enforced. Diarmuid O’Connor was removed from the panel, Cillian Trant was called up from the auxiliary list and O’Connor’s starting berth given to Tom O’Sullivan.
A Mayo change was anticipated – Paul Towey for Conor Loftus as was the case for their quarter-final and semi-final wins – but not two. Stephen Coen was also forced out with injury and Diarmuid O’Connor came into the team and John McMonagle into the 26.
For the first 16 minutes, Mayo mustered just one point in which time they fell seven behind. Kerry didn’t score a two-pointer despite the benefit of the wind but still had 1-5 on the board.
Kerry were enjoying how much time Jack Livingstone was taking with his kick-outs. They were also happy to break the ball in front of them where Mayo weren’t committing enough bodies.
David Clifford had two points to his name inside the first six minutes after Seán O’Brien had earlier trailed a goal attempt wide in the fifth minute. But after O’Shea opened his account, he found Clifford who made a backdoor cut, moved away from Livingstone and found the net.
Another O’Shea point stretched the difference to seven before Carney began the recovery with a two-pointer. Mayo kicked five short in the first half but the work ethic of their attack without the ball was immense and gave them a platform.
After O’Shea’s total jumped to three with a fisted score when David Clifford squared the ball to him, O’Donoghue raised another orange flag. Following that were Darragh Beirne and O’Donoghue frees as Mayo’s inside backs came under pressure. Sam Callinan broke through to make it a one-point game in the 30th minute.
After hitting two wides, Tom O’Sullivan made it third time lucky seconds later to end Mayo’s run of five points without response. Another foul on O’Donoghue was punished by Beirne before HawkEye confirmed Tommy Conroy’s effort was good and true.
As David Clifford fell the effects of a O’Donoghue challenge, Joe O’Connor burrowed his way through to slot over the score that separated the teams at the break.
: D. Beirne (1-3, 2 frees); R. O’Donoghue (0-5, 2 tps, 1 free); J. Carney (0-4, 2 tps); K. McDonald (0-3, 1 45); T. Conroy (0-2); D. McBrien, S. Callinan, J. Flynn (0-1 each).
D. Clifford (1-6, 1 tp); S. O’Shea, P. Clifford (1 45) (0-3 each); D. Casey, T. O’Sullivan, J. O’Connor, K. Evans, G. O’Sullivan (0-1 each).
: J. Livingstone; J. Coyne (c), E. McGreal, D. McHugh; S. Callinan, E. Hession, D. McBrien; B. Tuohy, J. Carney; D. O’Connor, J. Flynn, P. Towey; D. Beirne, D. Beirne, R. O’Donoghue, K. McDonald.
Subs for Mayo: T. Conroy for P. Towey (25); M. Ruane for B. Tuohy, R. Brickenden for E. McGreal (both 53); C. Loftus for D. O’Connor (58); P. Durcan for S. Callinan (65).
: S. Murphy; D. Casey, J. Foley, P. Murphy; T. O’Sullivan, M. Breen, G. White; M. O’Shea, S. O’Brien; J. O’Connor, S. O’Shea, G. O’Sullivan; D. Clifford (c), P. Clifford, D. Geaney.
Subs for Kerry: E. Looney for D. Casey (temp, 29-ht); K. Evans for T. O’Sullivan (h-t); T. Kennedy for D. Geaney (52); B. Ó Beaglaoich for G. White (59); E. Looney for P. Murphy (61); M. Burns for S. O’Brien (63).
: M. McNally (Monaghan)
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