Spirited Mayo snap up their opportunity

Mayo 2-15 Kerry 1-17(AET, 1-13 apiece after normal time)

USUALLY WHEN both teams play down the significance of a result like this they’ve something to hide – and for Mayo that was probably the urge to kiss the sky, then wave goodbye to that little monkey on their back.

Instead, they took a quick bow to their loyal supporters then hurried away as if they’d a plane to catch (which in fact they did, for a six-day training camp in Portugal).

“Monkeys don’t interest me that much,” said Mayo manager James Horan, dismissing the importance of beating Kerry in Croke Park for the first time in 16 years.

“It was more about sticking to our game plan, doing the simple things right. Whether it was Kerry we were playing or anyone else it didn’t matter because we’re in league final now, in two weeks time, another game to look forward to.”

This was an impressive win for Mayo. Twice they stared defeat in the face and twice they looked the other way – first by forcing extra time with a dramatic late penalty and equalising free, and secondly by claiming victory outright with a beautifully-struck winner from Richie Feeney.

Kerry still had the chance to force a replay with the last kick of the game, but Bryan Sheehan, somewhat uncharacteristically, hit a 45-metre free narrowly left and wide. That might have offered them some consolation, although it would hardly have hidden their overall disgust at surrendering a once commanding position.

“A bit of déjà vu all over again,” admitted Kerry manager Jack O’Connor, referring to the similar defensive lapse against Dublin in last September’s All-Ireland final. “We’d like to have got another game out of the league, but sure it was a like a game and a half here, so that’s still useful.”

Both teams did their best to defy the death-like atmosphere around Croke Park by rustling up an exciting finish. The official attendance of 11,342 for the double-bill was almost lost in the cavernous hollow of a virtually empty stadium. It again raises serious questions about the GAA’s reasoning for bringing the game to headquarters – and indeed for bringing back league semi-finals at all.

What made it well worth watching, however, was how Mayo stubbornly and determinedly and somewhat fortunately wore down their opponents: they started the better team, and certainly finished stronger – with substitutes Cillian O’Connor, Patrick Harte and of course Feeney all playing decisive roles in the end, with defender Colm Boyle also making an amazing contribution.

Harte neatly converted the 67th minute penalty that effectively brought Mayo back into contention – and left Kieran Donaghy cursing out loud. Kerry were four points up, 1-13 to 0-12, when Donaghy slipped back into one of his defensive roles, and tried to pass off a ball to Paul Galvin: somehow it dropped short, allowing Alan Dillon to come sweeping in, and leaving Galvin with little choice but to half-wrestle him to the ground.

As if conceding the penalty wasn’t bad enough, Kerry then messed around for the final few minutes, trying to play down the clock, and paid the ultimate price when Darran O’Sullivan almost inevitably fluffed possession, then fouled Boyle. Up stepped O’Connor who was coolness personified to summon the whistle for extra-time.

Kerry’s sighs were perfectly audible in the empty stadium, and for good reason: they’d several other opportunities to close the game out, with Darran O’Sullivan, for one, probably not making the most of his goal chances.

What ultimately cost them in the end was complacency, which unfortunately for them spilled over into extra-time.

Again, Kerry got themselves in front, two excellent points from substitute Barry John Keane, and a couple of frees from Sheehan frees, putting them three points clear, with just five minutes of extra time remaining. Then, really out of nowhere, Boyle collected a harmless enough ball close to the Kerry goal, was promptly surrounded and fell to the ground, yet still found room to unleash a powerful shot that flew past Brendan Kealy in the Kerry goal.

That was the last bolt of encouragement Mayo needed, and their confidence swelling, they blocked and tackled Kerry with great ferocity for the closing minutes.

Donaghy did force the final 45-metre by flicking the ball off Boyle, just as it spilled wide, but Sheehan ultimately couldn’t make it count as his effort sailed narrowly wide.

But there could be no complaints: Kerry had been puzzlingly slow to get going from the gun, and although there was talk afterwards that six or seven players were suffering from the flu, that alone hardly explains another fatal lapse in concentration. Plenty of things to work out on the training field then ahead of the summer.

MAYO: D Clarke, K Keane, G Cafferkey, K Higgins (0-1); L Keegan, D Vaughan, C Boyle (1-1); B Moran, J Gibbons; K McLoughlin, A Moran (0-1), A Dillon (0-2), C Mortimer (0-7, four frees), J Doherty, M Conroy. Subs: P Harte (1-0, a penalty) for Doherty (33), E Varley for Conroy (47 mins), D Geraghty for B Moran (56 mins), C O'Connor (0-2, one free) for Mortimer (69 mins), R Feeney (0-1) for Gibbons (69 mins), A Campbell for Harte (85 mins), Conroy for A Dillon (89 mins).

KERRY: B Kealy; S Enright, M Ó Sé, K Young; P Crowley, A O'Mahony, B Maguire; A Maher (0-1), B Sheehan (0-6, five frees); P Galvin (0-1), Darran O'Sullivan (0-1), K Donaghy; C Cooper (0-4, three frees), K O'Leary (0-1), P Curtin (0-1). Subs: J O'Donoghue (1-0) for O'Leary (42 mins), E Brosnan for O'Mahony (47 mins), D Walsh for Curtin (47 mins), BJ Keane (0-2) for Young (78 mins), J Buckley for Crowley (83 mins).

Referee: E Kinsella (Laois).