Dublin
1. Stephen Cluxton – The birthday boy’s kick-outs were disrupted by Mayo, particularly in the first-half where he made six misplaced restarts. He made a critical save from Jason Doherty in the 42nd minute. 7
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5. Jonny Cooper – Made three key turnovers for his side and eventually got to grips with Jason Doherty. 7
2. Philly McMahon – Picked up Cillian O’Connor but allowed the Ballintubber ace pick off three points from play. 6
4. Michael Fitzsimons – Andy Moran took him for three points in the first-half, but Fitzsimons tightened up in the second period and held him scoreless. 7
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6. John Small – Was fortunate his 42nd minute red card didn’t cost Dublin the game. Kicked a point in the first-half and was getting on plenty of ball before his dismissal. 7
3. Cian O’Sullivan – Drove forward from centre-back and had a key involvement in Brian Fenton’s point that edged Dublin two clear in the 50th minute. He forced his marker Aidan O’Shea to forage for ball way out the field. 8
7. Jack McCaffrey – Left the scene with a knee injury just five minutes into the game so he had little chance to made an impact. Dublin missed his pacey runs from deep. 5
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8. Brian Fenton – Kicked a critical point for Dublin down the stretch and shouldered a heavy workload defensively. 8
9. James McCarthy – His point leveled the game in the 65th minute and moments later he made a huge catch from a David Clarke kick-out ten minutes later. A giant display. 9
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10. Ciarán Kilkenny – Was well shackled by Lee Keegan and allowed him to steal forward to bury a goal in the 52nd minute. He was black-carded in the 77th minute for cycnically dragging down Keegan. 6
11. Con O’Callaghan – Slalomed past Colm Boyle and gave Dublin the dream start with a delicate finish past David Clarke. Sealed his first ever All-Star today. 8
14. Paddy Andrews – Was withdrawn in favour of Kevin McManamon at half-time after a quiet opening 35 minutes. Struggled to get into the game. 5
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13. Paul Mannion – Flitted in and out of the game but the Metropolitans were two behind when he curled over a point in the 64th minute. That kick-started their push for home. Had a goal chance saved in the 45th minute. 8
22. Eoghan O’Gara – Gavin’s gamble to pitch O’Gara into the starting line-up didn’t pay off. He was replaced by Diarmuid Connolly at the interval. 5
15. Dean Rock – Will be remembered as the man whose point secured the three-in-a-row for Dublin. He finished the game with 0-7, including four from play. 8
Subs –
22. Paul Flynn – Came on for the injured McCaffrey early on and went in at midfield, while McCarthy dropped to wing-back. Kicked one wide and was replaced in the 65th minute. 6
20. Diarmuid Connolly – Replaced the ineffectual O’Gara at the interval and controlled much of Dublin’s play from centre-forward. Kicked a bad wide in the 73rd minute, but set up a McManamon score and won the free for Rock’s winner. 8
25. Kevin McManamon – Came on for Andrews and added a some bite and pace to the Dublin attack. Scored one point out of two attempts. 7
17. Bernard Brogan – Got possession twice in the scoring range but was bottled up by the Mayo defence on the first occasion and then blocked down by Keith Higgins. Assisted McCarthy’s point and was a steady hand as Dublin ran down the clock late on. 7
12. Niall Scully – Only arrived onto the field in the 68th minute but his fresh legs helped Dublin pen Mayo in at the death. 6
22. Cormac Costello – Came on for Mannion in the 74th minute but didn’t have a huge amount of time to get involved. 5
Mayo
1. David Clarke – Denied Mannion a goal ten minutes into the second-half and was solid throughout. His only shaky moment arrived deep in stoppage-time, when he put a kick-out over the sideline. 7
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2. Brendan Harrison – Completely shut down Eoghan O’Gara in the opening half and made a good fist of things on McManamon after the break. 8
6. Chris Barrett – Mayo’s outstanding player. Forced turnovers on Con O’Callaghan and Dean Rock with the game hanging in the balance. Can consider himself very unlucky to miss out on an all-Ireland medal. 9
18. Patrick Durcan – Was marking the lightning-fast Mannion while playing on a line of the field where he doesn’t feature regularly. Did okay 6
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5. Lee Keegan – Sacrificed his game to nullify Dublin’s link man Ciaran Kilkenny. Bagged another All-Ireland final goal when he was sent through by Moran in the 54th minute. Was hauled down by Kilkenny for Cillian O’Connor’s free that edged them two ahead in the 62nd minute. 8
7. Colm Boyle – Battled hard until his 55th minute withdrawal. Kicked an outstanding score from the outside of the right boot in the opening half. Also drew the tackle which got Small dismissed. 7
4. Keith Higgins – Another Mayo player who left it all on the field. Higgins made a heroic block on Brogan in the 69th minute and immediately went down with cramp. Kept Brogan well under wraps after he was introduced. 7
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8. Seamus O’Shea – Battled gamely in midfield but Mayo were outshone by Dublin in this sector. Broke forward on a few occasions and didn’t give away much possession. Was replaced by Diarmuid O’Connor in the 52nd minute. 6
9. Tom Parsons – Put in a big shift at midfield and made one critical catch in the opening half. Linked up much of Dublin’s good play. 8
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10. Kevin McLoughlin – Got himself on the end of a few Mayo moves and split the posts once in either half. His impact waned as the game went on and his legs tired. Replaced by 8
11. Aidan O’Shea – Has still never scored in an All-Ireland final. Started the game well and got himself on plenty of ball, but too often he was way too far out from Cluxton’s goal to hurt the Dubs. 7
3. Donal Vaughan – His silly strike on Small – who was about to be dismissed for a hit on Boyle – is the biggest reason Mayo are not All-Ireland champions tonight. Mayo might have played the final 30 minutes with an extra man, but Vaughan’s moment of madness cost them dearly. 5
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13. Jason Doherty – An impressive performance from Doherty where he scored two points and was involved in much of Mayo’s good play. He’ll be disappointed with his goal chance in the 42nd minute, which he saw saved by Cluxton. 8
14. Cillian O’Connor – Was the only Mayo forward to improve after half-time. He scored six points after the break, including four frees, but watched a late placed ball bounce back off the upright. 8
15. Andy Moran – Gave Fitzsimons a torrid time in the first period where he kicked three excellent points. Slipped in Keegan for his goal and was a menace until his withdrawal on 62 minutes. 8
Subs –
12. Diarmuid O’Connor – Was introduced in favour of Seamus O’Shea in the 51st minute and made a couple of good bursts forward after his arrival on the field. 6
19. Stephen Coen – Came in for Durcan and delivered an excellent pass into Cillian O’Connor to edge Mayo ahead in the 60th minute. 6
23. Conor Loftus – Was dispossessed by McMahon as Mayo bombed forward in the dying minutes, and it was Mayo’s final significant attack. 5
20. David Drake – Came in for Doherty and picked up a yellow soon afterwards. 5
22. Danny Kirby – Replaced McLoughlin in the 75th minute but didn’t manage to get on the ball as Dublin played keep-ball. 5
17. Ger Cafferkey – A late, late replacement for Higgins. 5
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