'These are the days, boys' – Castlebar’s kids in dreamland
Castlebar Mitchels supporter David Ginty celebrates with the Paddy Moclair Cup. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
There would be no fairytale. Mayo have had a glorious year, but the county’s feel-good story, Garrymore, came up short in a tepid county final as Castlebar Mitchells secured their first senior title in nine years.
Castlebar’s composure and conviction were unwavering throughout. Midfielder Bob Tuohy was named man of the match after lording centrefield and kicking six points, including a two-pointer right at the start. Donnacha McHugh was a titan in front of their own goal. Seán Morahan started the year winning the Sigerson Cup with University of Limerick, was a member of Andy Moran’s panel and kicked a point on his way to this latest triumph.
Captain John MacMonagle was a rock at six and won a late penalty when he was brought down by Justin Commins. Denying a goal-scoring opportunity earned Commins a black card from referee Liam Devenney on top of the spot kick, which Cian Walsh coolly slotted.
The home of Sam Maguire is still revelling in its triumph. All over the county, the green and red still glows. The Ballindine plaza, an elite-level filling station, was a glorious riot of colour as the county and two clubs rubbed shoulders.
Davitts’ black and red flew first, ahead of their own intermediate final. They saw off Ballinrobe in impressive fashion before their neighbours took to the field. Coaches were laying out cones for the senior warm-up while Davitts were still in the middle of the stand accepting their cup. The carnival keeps hurtling on.
Garrymore’s red and white flew too. They were dreaming of their own stunning success, rank outsiders at the start of the championship and with seven players over 30 in their starting 15. For whatever reason, their opening half was sub-standard. It took 22 minutes for them to score. Aaron Hughes’s two-pointer looked like it would be their only score of the half until Trevor Nally added another just before the turnaround.
In such dire circumstances, a team has only so many cards to play. They reached for two first-half substitutions and brought on veteran Caolan Crowe as a target man on the edge of the square. He had to leave momentarily for a blood sub, returning with his head swathed in a bandage. Their spirit is such that they were always going to go down fighting. Whatever the scoreboard said, fight they did.
All-Ireland winner Eoin McGreal was determined to spark something. First, he curled over a terrific score from a tight angle. He subsequently added a two-pointer, and when Darren Quinn fired over two quick-fire points, there were only three points in it heading down the straight.
It was a game that mirrored the way Moran’s side won Sam Maguire. There were seven two-pointers from more than 15 attempts. High pressing was rewarded by an officiating team content to allow some physicality. So many veterans on the Garrymore side were determined to keep swinging. The flip side of that no-surrender mantra is that sometimes the punches don’t land.
They did have a chance to summon something. A long ball from former Roscommon forward Andy Glennon towards Crowe broke near the square. Nally collected and blasted his effort over the bar, not under it.
The 9,572-strong crowd watched the clock tick down as Castlebar saw it out comfortably.
In the end, MacMonagle climbed the steps and cast a look over the familiar scene in front of him. It was 89 days since he and his inter-county team-mates stood on this ground before a heaving crowd to celebrate a historic triumph. Now he was back, claiming a county crown of his own.
The 21-year-old captain grew up watching a famous Castlebar team collect four titles in five years. He saw his county come close in finals but fall short. Across a few glorious months, he has now helped Mayo and Castlebar to the summit.
Imagine.
“To these boys up here with me, what a group,” he declared. “These men are the most honest bunch of lads you could ever meet. They have worked so hard over the last number of years to get up the steps today.
“These are the days, boys.”
Scorers for Castlebar: B. Tuohy 0-6 (1 tp); C. Walsh 1-1 (1 pen); J. Forry 0-4 (1f 1tpf); P. Durcan 0-2 (tp); A. O’Boyle, E. Hughes, S. Morahan, U. O’Reilly 0-1 each.
Scorers for Garrymore: D. Quinn 0-4 (1 tp); E. McGreal, T. Nally 0-3 (1 tp) each; A. Hughes 0-2 (tp).
CASTLEBAR MITCHELLS: R. Byrne; J. Tuohy, D. McHugh, S. Cunningham; C. Mulroy, J. MacMonagle, P. Durcan; B. Tuohy, U. O’Reilly; A. O’Boyle, N. Douglas, S. Morahan; C. Walsh, J. Forry, J. Durcan.
SUBS: E. Hughes for Douglas (45); C. Filan for J. Durcan (49); B. Joyce for O’Reilly (56); E. Gibbons for Forry (58); C. Stenson for Mulroy (60).
GARRYMORE: B. Lynskey; C. Commins, J. Oates, J. Commins; D. Dolan, L. Óg Horkan, E. McGreal; G. Golden, A. Hughes; E. Hession, A. Glennon, S. Nally; D. Quinn, C. Slattery, T. Nally.
SUBS: J. Hession for Dolan (25); C. Crowe for S. Nally (30); P. Hession for Crowe (35-38, Temp); P. Hession for T. Nally (45); M. Connolly for Glennon (60).
Referee: L. Devenney (Ballina Stephenites).
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