Mayo 1-16
Roscommon 0-13
John Fallon reports from Dr Hyde Park
CILLIAN O’CONNOR AGAIN led the way as Mayo advanced to their first Connacht final in five years with a convincing win over champions Roscommon at Hyde Park.
O’Connor landed 0-9, three of them from play, to set up a Connacht final meeting against Galway at Pearse Stadium next Sunday.
Roscommon, looking for successive championship wins over Mayo for the first time since 1991, never got a foothold in the game.
Roscommon won the toss and opted to play against the breeze and they trailed by 1-8 to 0-5 at the interval.
Mayo led by 1-7 to 0-2 after 22 minutes with the midfield dominance of Conor Loftus and Matthew Ruane ensuring plentiful supply to an attack where late replacement Kevin McLoughlin, skipper Aidan O’Shea and Tommy Conroy were full of threat.
Cillian O’Connor landed three points, two of them from placed balls, while brother Diarmuid slipped home a superb goal after wing-back Eoghan McLaughlin had come forward to set him up and Ballintubber clubman drilled it into the right corner from a tight angle after 19 minutes.
Roscommon responded well and points from Cian McKeon and Donie Smith gave them and when Conroy hit one for Mayo, Smith got his second point of the half to cut the deficit to six at the interval.
Roscommon needed a good start to the second-half with the breeze behind them but it was Mayo who got it with three points from Cillian O’Connor, two of them from play to lead by 1-11 to 0-5 after 42 minutes.
Donie Smith and Cillian O’Connor exchanged points before Roscommon were given hope with two frees from Conor Cox and a fine effort from play on the right by wing-back Niall Daly cut the gap to 1-12 to 0-9.
But Paddy Durcan went forward to land his second point of the game to lead by seven going into the final quarter.
Roscommon never looked like getting in for the goal they needed to mount a comeback as Mayo eased their way to the Connacht final.
Scorers for Mayo: Cillian O’Connor 0-9 (6f), Diarmuid O’Connor 1-1, Paddy Durcan 0-2, Conor Loftus 0-1, Tommy Conroy 0-1, Aidan O’Shea 0-1, Kevin McLoughlin 0-1.
Scorers for Roscommon: Donie Smith 0-3 (2f), Conor Cox 0-3 (2f, 1m), Cian McKeon 0-3 (2f), Diarmuid Murtagh 0-2, Niall Daly 0-1, Tadhg O’Rourke 0-1.
MAYO
1 David Clarke (Ballina Stephenites)
4. Lee Keegan (Westport)
3. Chris Barrett (Clontarf)
2. Oisín Mullin (Kilmaine)
5. Paddy Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels)
6. Stephen Coen (Hollymount/Carramore)
7. Eoghan McLaughlin (Westport)
8. Matthew Ruane (Breaffy)
9. Conor Loftus (Crossmolina Deel Rovers)
24. Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore)
11. Ryan O’Donoghue (Belmullet)
12. Diarmuid O’Connor (Ballintubber)
13. Tommy Conroy (The Neale)
14. Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy)
15. Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber)
Substitutes: 22. Jordan O’Flynn (Crossmolina Deel Rovers) for Loftus (41-45), 23. Mark Moran (Westport) for O’Donoghue (48), 22. O’Flynn for D O’Connor (59), 19. Rory Brickenden (Westport) for Ruane (65), 26. James Carr (Ardagh) for Conroy (67), 18. Michael Plunkett (Ballintubber) for Coen (71)
ROSCOMMON
1. Colm Lavin (Éire Óg)
3. Conor Daly (Padraig Pearses)
4. Sean Mullooly (Strokestown)
2. David Murray (Padraig Pearses)
7. Niall Daly (Padraig Pearses)
6. Brian Stack (St Brigids)
5. Ronan Daly (Padraig Pearses)
8. Cathal Compton (Strokestown)
9. Tadhg O’Rourke (Tulsk)
10. Niall Kilroy (Fuerty)
11. Enda Smith (Boyle)
12. Cian McKeon (Boyle)
13. Donie Smith (Boyle)
14. Conor Cox (Éire Óg)
15. Cathal Cregg (Western Gaels)
Substitutes: 18. Conor Devaney (Kilbride) for Cregg (41), 20. Conor Hussey (Michael Glaveys) for O’Rourke (51), 22. Ciaran Lennon (Clann nan Gael) for Cox (58), 26. Eddie Nolan (St Brigid’s) for Compton (60), 24. Diarmuid Murtagh (St Faithleach’s) for D Smith (62)
Referee: David Gough (Meath)
Subscribe to The42′s new member-led GAA Championship show with Marc Ó Sé and Shane Dowling.
