THE MEN FROM out west are hoping to end a run of seven straight All-Ireland SFC final defeats against Dublin on Sunday. We’ve taken a look back at one lesson Mayo can take from each of those harrowing experiences from the past.
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1989 – Take your goal chances
Things could have been so different. Mayo’s first All-Ireland final since 1951 was one of the most entertaining of its era.
Early in the second-half, the rejuvenated Westerners swept into the lead when Anthony Finnerty latched onto a Noel Durkan through ball and fired into the net. The tide, momentum and game swung into Mayo’s favour when Durkan sent Finnerty through on goal again minutes later.
With John Kerins’s Cork goal at his mercy, Finnerty’s shot blazed into the side-netting. The close-call served to wake the Rebels up from their slumber and they rallied to claim a three point win.
(Cork 0-17 Mayo 1-11)
1996 replay – Keep 15 men on the field
The flurry of bodies in yellow and green battling those in red and green under the Hill in 1996 has become the stuff of GAA legend.
The heated melee between Meath and Mayo sparked inside five minutes of the replay. It dragged all bar three players into that corner of the field , with some entering the fray as peacekeepers, others as agitators.
Liam McHale and Colm Coyle were picked out by referee Pat McEnaney as the main instigators and given their marching orders.
McHale at the time was Mayo’s most influential player, highlighted by his man-of-the-match award in the drawn game. They soldiered without the 32-year-old for 65 minutes, falling one point short.
(Meath 2-9 Mayo 1-11)
1997 – Keep the danger man under wraps
1997 was the Maurice Fitzgerald final. Of Kerry’s 0-13 total, the Cahirciveen maestro put up nine points. But Fitzgerald had a slow start to the day and didn’t score from play until the 26th minute.
Former Mayo joint-manager Pat Holmes was the man tasked with shadowing Fitzgerald, but once the Kerry forward started to cut loose in the second-half, the Mayo management never switched another man onto him.
In his uniquely languid style, Fitzgerald filled his boots and later that night, Kerry filled the cup.
(Kerry 0-13 Mayo 1-7)
2004 – Capitalize on a good start
The abiding memory from that day at HQ 12 years ago is Kerry romping to victory, but things didn’t begin that way.
Mayo wing-forward Alan Dillon whipped home a goal just five minutes after the throw-in, handing Mayo the lead and the initiative.
Ultimately, it only awoke the beast. By half-time Mayo had crumbled. The Kingdom led by eight and had the game as good as wrapped up.
(Kerry 1-20 Mayo 3-5)
2006 – Don’t concede goals
Mayo have shipped nine goals over the course of their last four All-Ireland deciders. Two years after 2004, Kerry rode into Croke Park, set fire to everything in sight and marched back down south with the Sam Maguire in tow.
Declan O’Sullivan, Kieran Donaghy and Colm Cooper bagged Kerry goals inside the opening 26 minutes as they laid siege to a shell shocked Mayo defence. Eoin Brosnan chipped David Clarke for a fourth in second-half injury-time round off a glorious display of attacking football from the men in green and gold.
It goes without saying that keeping things tight at the back is paramount to their chances on Sunday.
(Kerry 4-15 Mayo 3-5)
2012 – Get your match-ups right
Just two and a half minutes into this game and Mayo had a mountain to climb.
Jim McGuinness had employed Michael Murphy around the middle sector throughout the championship, but he left the Glenswilly man on the edge of the square with a mismatch on defender Kevin Keane.
Karl Lacey hit Murphy with a diagonal delivery and the No. 14 fetched the pass, turned and fired a rocket past David Clarke.
That was the third high ball Donegal had directed towards Murphy. They identified Keane’s aerial ability as a weak link in the Mayo chain and it was a signpost along the path to victory.
(Donegal 2-11 Mayo 0-13)
2013 – Mind the clock
Mayo found themselves two points behind heading into stoppage-time when they were awarded a free close to goal. Instead of going for a goal and the victory, Cillian O’Connor popped it over the bar with the last kick of the game. Seconds later the referee brought an end to the proceedings.
In hindsight O’Connor admitted he should have gone for goal, but he was under the impression there were 30 seconds left to play after the free was taken.
Dublin had plenty of bodies back on the line, but Mayo were still left wondering what might have been.
(Dublin 2-12 Mayo 1-14)
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