AND SO ENDS the longest unbeaten run in championship history.
After 45 games and six straight All-Irelands, Dublin have tasted defeat. It was the first time Brian Fenton, John Small, Niall Sully, Con O’Callaghan and a host of others experienced a loss in a championship game.
It handed Mayo their first win over Dublin in nine years and 17 games.
And we’ll have new All-Ireland champions for the first time since 2014.
In an extraordinary semi-final, Mayo looked dead at half-time. Dublin were 10-4 up and in total control. Typified by a Ciarán Kilkenny point that arrived after Dublin had a stranglehold on possession for almost three minutes. Mayo looked powerless to prevent another defeat.
Their shooting in the first-half was poor but like against Galway, Mayo flicked a switch at half-time. They pressed up and started to take Dublin on. Their energy levels only appeared to grow as the game went on.
Mayo’s fast breaks after the interval tended to look like this, which made their running game very difficult to defend against.
James Horan had a big day on the sideline. He introduced his first sub inside the half hour mark for Darren McHale. Enda Hession brought speed coming out of the full-back line and, as he did in the Connacht final, Eoghan McLaughlin went to wing-forward.
His call to take off his captain Aidan O’Shea could have buoyed Dublin but instead Mayo improved, and Horan deserves credit for making the brave call.
He got the match-ups right in defence. Lee Keegan held centre-back and Padraig O’Hora did the same behind him. After a ropey start, both performed admirably on Con O’Callaghan and Kilkenny respectively. The Dublin pair rotated between the positions, from the second-half onwards Kilkenny stays inside with O’Callaghan at 11.
Having played most of his football during Horan’s second stint in the full-back line, Keegan looked like he enjoyed the extra freedom of half-back. The move probably only came about because of the quad injury that ruled Oisín Mullin out. But Keegan’s return to a more attacking role was the catalyst for Mayo’s victory.
Dublin were uncharacteristically sloppy. It was a Mayo victory built on turnovers in defence and a fast running game up front. Keegan was highly influential in both phases of the game.
“We were probably tentative in the first 15-20 minutes, whether we should push forward or hold a little bit,” explained James Horan afterwards. “Got a bit caught in that maybe.
“Even with that, we had three or four very bad wides and we had a free that we missed. It could have been 10-7, even though we played very poorly but our energy wasn’t what it usually is.
“We managed to lift the energy a bit for the second half and things take off from there, usually.”
The turnovers gave Mayo life. Padraig O’Hora forced several on Kilkenny.
“We turned them over like we planned to,” he declared after collecting RTÉ’s man-of-the-match award.
Mattie Ruane intercepted after Keegan spoiled a pass directed for O’Callaghan.
Ryan O’Donoghue forced Davy Byrne to over carry the ball, before Kevin McLoughlin and Conor O’Shea did likewise with Evan Comerford.
O’Donoghue made a sensational turnover with his fist on James McCarthy in the 74th minute during normal time. When O’Shea forced Davy Byrne to concede a 45 as Dublin tried to play keep ball on their own goal line, it allowed Rob Hennelly draw Mayo level on his second attempt before the full-time whistle.
In extra-time, Diarmuid O’Connor stole a ball from Robbie McDaid and Bryan Walsh executed a fantastic dispossession on Colm Basquel.
During the extra two periods, Mayo looked comfortable. They won extra-time 0-4 to 0-1 and prevailed by three. By the end, Dublin had resorted to high balls in the hunt for goals.
The crucial period of the game came after half-time, when Dublin failed to add to their score. They allowed Mayo back into the game and scored just 0-1 off the bench, in contrast to last year’s All-Ireland final when Brian Howard and Paul Mannion helped steer the game in their favour.
Keegan was key, contributing handsomely both in defence and attack. His influence on the game got stronger as it wore on. He had 12 possessions in the second-half, and 13 during the 20 minutes of extra-time.
After half-time, Keegan won five turnovers for Mayo – higher than any other player. He claimed two kick-outs, kicked a point, assisted another and was involved in several more scores.
His release further forward allowed the Westport man burst forward at every opportunity. O’Callaghan spent much of his afternoon running back towards his own goal.
Lee Keegan key plays after half-time
37:30 - Keegan makes an break forward and kicks into O’Shea. He catches it but his momentum carries him over the end line.
38:50 - He’s involved in the early stages of a move that sees Tommy Conroy add a point.
40:40 - Hennelly goes short with a kick-out to Stephen Coen and Keegan takes it on the burst. He goes past Mick Fitzsimons and Kilkenny, before feeding McLoughlin who carries it forward. Mayo eventually hit a wide.
43:53 - As Dublin slowly work the ball around the arch, Keegan finds himself on the edge of the square after tracking the run of Dean Rock.
46:40 – Keegan shows good speed to get out in front of O’Callaghan and win his first turnover of the half. He recycles it to the goalkeeper and Mayo launch another attack.
50:50 – Ruane forces a turnover on the half-back line when Niall Scully kicks to Fitzsimons. Mayo send a handful of runners forward. Keegan peels off the back of Ruane and strokes over a trademark effort. It’s their third without reply and only adds to their growing confidence.
52:21 – O’Callaghan has been completely nullified and below he shows signs of frustration with Keegan’s tight and physical marking.
59:45 - Keegan provides a support run in midfield and helps set-up a shooting chance for Ruane that drops short.
67:37 - He makes another lung-bursting run forward that takes him inside the Dublin 14m line …
…and brings Dean Rock all the way with him, forcing Dublin’s most accurate shooter into an area of the field he didn’t want to be in at that stage of the game.
However, Dublin steal the ball and counter.
68:10 - Kilkenny goes short with a free to O’Callaghan, but Keegan is able to punch the ball clear and Ruane wins it back.
68:43 – Durcan drives forward and again Keegan attacks on his shoulder.
He doesn’t get the ball, but his hard run manages to draw three Dublin defenders, creating enough room for Conroy to curl over a point. That made it a one-point game.
71:59 - Keegan gets his hands on the ball four times in a move that results in James Carr shooting wide.
ET 0:52 - He displays his fitness levels by burning Colm Basquel, who only arrived on the field in the 49th minute, as he came out with the ball. Keegan then finds himself making the Ballyboden St Enda’s forward for the next few minutes.
ET 1:51 - With McLoughlin working hard to provide cover, Keegan manages to force a good turnover on Basquel. It leads to a fantastic equalising point by Conroy.
ET 2:48 - Keegan and John Small collide when Dublin’s centre-back attempts to raid down the sideline. The pair share a laugh after initially looking like they’d square up to one another.
ET 5:44 – Keegan does brilliantly to win a ball in front of O’Callaghan. He makes his way upfield and carries the ball forward. It results in a score from Darren Coen.
ET 6:29 - Comerford’s attempted long kick-out is taken by a free Keegan in midfield. He feeds Ryan O’Donoghue, who races forward, dummies and scores to send Mayo three clear. It turns out to be the final score of the game.
ET 12:42 – Early in the second-half of extra-time, he shows good positioning to win a poor delivery from an Aaron Byrne free. Over the next few minutes Keegan finds himself on O’Callaghan before later tagging Byrne.
ET 17:20 - He’s picking up Byrne when a long ball goes into Rock near the Mayo goal.
Keegan shows good positional awareness to leave his man and double up on Rock with Hession…
…and the pair eventually win a kick-out.
ET 19:37 - Time is almost up when Fenton chips a ball into the area, where Keegan is sweeping.
ET 20:38 – For the final play, Keegan is marking Fenton who has pushed into full-forward. He’s able to deny the Raheny man possession as Dublin lump in a high ball in desperate search of a goal.
ET 20:43 - Sensing danger when Cormac Costello runs at goal, Keegan leaves Rock to clog up space in front of Hennelly.
Costello’s shot on goal is blocked and Mayo survive another long delivery from the 45.
The final whistle then sounds to hand Mayo and Keegan their first win over Dublin since 2012. It’s been a long time coming.
