THERE’S A REASON David versus Goliath stories resonate so much. The times that the stone from the slingshot hits the target are so memorable and special that they live on through the ages – but far more often, Goliath squeezes the life out of his smaller opponent, barely giving him a chance to even load his humble weapon.
Castlebar Mitchels, drawing from the exploding population of the county town and with 31 county titles to their credit going into this afternoon’s Mayo final, fit the profile of Goliath every bit as perfectly as Garrymore, a rural community that has famously been celebrated for having nothing but their GAA club, played the part of the biggest underdog story of the weekend.
The South Mayo parish got a few stones away out of their slingshot early, but fatally, they didn’t hit the mark. Darren Quinn dropped a two-pointer short, Trevor Nally danced in on goal but had a low shot saved by Rory Byrne, and a couple of sloppy turnovers added to their pain.
Bob Tuohy celebrating at the final whistle. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Sensational
Mitchels were finding their stride perfectly. Bob Tuohy landed a sensational two-pointer into the diagonal breeze to set the tone, Joe Forry’s dummy and jink opened up a simple finish for Cian Walsh, and by the midway point of the first half, Tuohy and Forry landed quick fire points to make it 0-7 to no score, with two more shots from distance gone astray for Garrymore by this stage.
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There was a noticeable element of comfort and control about Castlebar’s play, with Paddy Durcan winning a couple of contests for possession against Garrymore talisman Enda Hession serving as a microcosm of the contest as a whole.
Paddy Durcan in action for Castlebar Mitchels. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Two two-pointers, one each from Aaron Hughes and Trevor Nally, reduced the gap to a more manageable 0-9 to 0-4 at half-time and the sheer, frantic desire that Garrymore showed in their own back division for the majority of the second half kept the game alive. Paddy Durcan landed a point from outside the arc but in all, just three scores were struck by Castlebar in nearly 25 minutes, even though Tuohy continued to lord matters at midfield, working his way towards collecting the man-of-the-match award.
That scoring drought allowed Garrymore to chip away at the lead, despite never getting on top themselves in the top half of the field. Eoin McGreal struck their third double from out on the right wing, before Joe Forry replied in kind for the town side with an incredible strike. A quick dink of a ’45 into Darren Quinn set up the Garrymore corner forward for another strike from outside the arc to make it 0-16 to 0-12 with a couple of minutes remaining.
Castlebar’s Conor Mulroy and Aaron Hughes of Garrymore. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Penalty
What little hope there was for an incredible comeback lasted barely 60 seconds. John MacMonagle took on the captain’s responsibility and drove right through the heart of the Garrymore defence, forcing a desperation tackle from Justin Commins that led to a black card penalty decision.
Cian Walsh’s clinical low penalty duly wrapped up a first county title in nine years, and set Castlebar up to extend their season deep into the winter, with just London champions Fulham Irish standing between them and a Connacht final.
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Castlebar Mitchels players celebrate their victory. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Scorers for Castlebar Mitchels: Bob Tuohy 0-6 (1tp), Cian Walsh 1-1 (1-0 pen), Joe Forry 0-4 (0-1f, 1 2pt play), Paddy Durcan 0-2 (1 2pt play), Anthony O’Boyle 0-1, Seán Morahan 0-1, Ultan O’Reilly 0-1, Eoghan Hughes 0-1.
Rory Byrne; Shane Cunningham, Seán Morahan, Donnacha McHugh; Joe Tuohy, John MacMonagle, Paddy Durcan; Bob Tuohy, Ultan O’Reilly; Anthony O’Boyle, James Durcan, Conor Mulroy; Joe Forry, Neil Douglas, Cian Walsh.
Subs: Eoghan Hughes for Douglas (45), Calum Filan for J Durcan (49), Ben Joyce for O’Reilly (55), Ethan Gibbons for Forry (57), Conor Stenson for Mulroy (60+1)
Garrymore
Brian Lynskey; Colin Commins, Jamie Oates, Justin Commins; Eoin McGreal, Liam Óg Horkan, David Dolan; Gary Golden, Aaron Hughes; Enda Hession, Andy Glennon, Shane Nally; Darren Quinn, Cathal Slattery, Trevor Nally.
Subs:Jamie Hession for Dolan (25), Caolan Crowe for S Nally (28), Patrick Hession for Crowe (33-38, blood), Patrick Hession for T Nally (45), Michael Connolly for Glennon (60+3).
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Bob Tuohy stars as Castlebar Mitchels end nine-year wait for Mayo title
Castlebar Mitchels 1-17 (1-3-11)
Garrymore 0-12 (0-4-4)
Kevin Egan at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park
THERE’S A REASON David versus Goliath stories resonate so much. The times that the stone from the slingshot hits the target are so memorable and special that they live on through the ages – but far more often, Goliath squeezes the life out of his smaller opponent, barely giving him a chance to even load his humble weapon.
Castlebar Mitchels, drawing from the exploding population of the county town and with 31 county titles to their credit going into this afternoon’s Mayo final, fit the profile of Goliath every bit as perfectly as Garrymore, a rural community that has famously been celebrated for having nothing but their GAA club, played the part of the biggest underdog story of the weekend.
The South Mayo parish got a few stones away out of their slingshot early, but fatally, they didn’t hit the mark. Darren Quinn dropped a two-pointer short, Trevor Nally danced in on goal but had a low shot saved by Rory Byrne, and a couple of sloppy turnovers added to their pain.
Sensational
Mitchels were finding their stride perfectly. Bob Tuohy landed a sensational two-pointer into the diagonal breeze to set the tone, Joe Forry’s dummy and jink opened up a simple finish for Cian Walsh, and by the midway point of the first half, Tuohy and Forry landed quick fire points to make it 0-7 to no score, with two more shots from distance gone astray for Garrymore by this stage.
There was a noticeable element of comfort and control about Castlebar’s play, with Paddy Durcan winning a couple of contests for possession against Garrymore talisman Enda Hession serving as a microcosm of the contest as a whole.
Two two-pointers, one each from Aaron Hughes and Trevor Nally, reduced the gap to a more manageable 0-9 to 0-4 at half-time and the sheer, frantic desire that Garrymore showed in their own back division for the majority of the second half kept the game alive. Paddy Durcan landed a point from outside the arc but in all, just three scores were struck by Castlebar in nearly 25 minutes, even though Tuohy continued to lord matters at midfield, working his way towards collecting the man-of-the-match award.
That scoring drought allowed Garrymore to chip away at the lead, despite never getting on top themselves in the top half of the field. Eoin McGreal struck their third double from out on the right wing, before Joe Forry replied in kind for the town side with an incredible strike. A quick dink of a ’45 into Darren Quinn set up the Garrymore corner forward for another strike from outside the arc to make it 0-16 to 0-12 with a couple of minutes remaining.
Penalty
What little hope there was for an incredible comeback lasted barely 60 seconds. John MacMonagle took on the captain’s responsibility and drove right through the heart of the Garrymore defence, forcing a desperation tackle from Justin Commins that led to a black card penalty decision.
Cian Walsh’s clinical low penalty duly wrapped up a first county title in nine years, and set Castlebar up to extend their season deep into the winter, with just London champions Fulham Irish standing between them and a Connacht final.
Scorers for Castlebar Mitchels: Bob Tuohy 0-6 (1tp), Cian Walsh 1-1 (1-0 pen), Joe Forry 0-4 (0-1f, 1 2pt play), Paddy Durcan 0-2 (1 2pt play), Anthony O’Boyle 0-1, Seán Morahan 0-1, Ultan O’Reilly 0-1, Eoghan Hughes 0-1.
Scorers for Garrymore: Darren Quinn 0-4 (1 2pt play), Trevor Nally 0-3 (1 2pt play), Eoin McGreal 0-3 (1 2pt play), Aaron Hughes (1 2pt play).
Castlebar Mitchels
Rory Byrne; Shane Cunningham, Seán Morahan, Donnacha McHugh; Joe Tuohy, John MacMonagle, Paddy Durcan; Bob Tuohy, Ultan O’Reilly; Anthony O’Boyle, James Durcan, Conor Mulroy; Joe Forry, Neil Douglas, Cian Walsh.
Subs: Eoghan Hughes for Douglas (45), Calum Filan for J Durcan (49), Ben Joyce for O’Reilly (55), Ethan Gibbons for Forry (57), Conor Stenson for Mulroy (60+1)
Garrymore
Brian Lynskey; Colin Commins, Jamie Oates, Justin Commins; Eoin McGreal, Liam Óg Horkan, David Dolan; Gary Golden, Aaron Hughes; Enda Hession, Andy Glennon, Shane Nally; Darren Quinn, Cathal Slattery, Trevor Nally.
Subs: Jamie Hession for Dolan (25), Caolan Crowe for S Nally (28), Patrick Hession for Crowe (33-38, blood), Patrick Hession for T Nally (45), Michael Connolly for Glennon (60+3).
Referee: Liam Devenney (Ballina Stephenites)
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Castlebar Mitchels celebrations GAA Mayo October