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18
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10 2021
www.irishnews.com
IN ASSOCIATION
WITH
ALL-IRELAND SFC FINAL
NO STOPPING MAYO ON P
After a comfortable passage through Connacht, Mayo were forced to dig deep to see off
the all-conquering Dubs in their All-Ireland semi-final. Pádraig Ó Meiscill takes a look back
at their run to the decider against Tyrone...
Easily over the Ridge
Sunday, July 11
Connacht Senior Football Championship semi-final
(MacHale Park)
Mayo 5-20 Leitrim 0-11
FIRST AID Aidan O’Shea fires home his first goal in Mayo’s facile victory
over Sligo in their Connacht SFC opener at Markievicz Park
Picture: Sportsfile
Sligo put to the sword
Saturday, June 26
Connacht Senior Football Championship quarter-final
(Markievicz Park)
Mayo 3-23 Sligo 0-12
MAYO have been without the
injured Cillian O’Connor but they
appeared not to miss the injured
Ballintubber man at Markievicz
Park, where they put Sligo to the
sword in impressive style.
Aidan O’Shea racked up a
personal tally of 2-2 for last
year’s All-Ireland finalists as they
ended up running out 20-point
winners and were more than full
value for that margin as they
controlled the game from start
to finish.
Mayo had the game well and
truly wrapped up by half-time,
going in leading 3-13 to 0-8
at the turnaround with O’Shea
getting two and Knockmore’s
Darren McHale marking his first
Championship start with the
third goal.
McHale was impressive
throughout the opening 35
minutes, ending the half with
1-4, all from play, including the
opening three points of the day
for Mayo.
The gap in class between a
Division Four side and a team
who have appeared regularly at
the latter stages of All-Irelands
was clear to see as Mayo took
Sligo’s defence apart at ease.
They moved the ball at lightning
pace and, when they needed to,
slowed it down and worked the
angles to find the right spot to
take a point.
Sligo’s early tactic of dropping
the ball in long on top of Barry
Gorman, one of five changes
to the team named in the
programme, failed to deliver the
desired result and it was only
for some fine scoring by Niall
Murphy and Seán Carrabine that
they managed to put something
approaching a respectable figure
on the scoreboard.
ANOTHER provincial
Championship humiliation,
another bout of soul-searching
about the point of fixtures like
this one.
Screened live on RTÉ on a
Sunday afternoon, Mayo could
hardly be blamed for flexing
their muscles and leaving the
viewer staring at a dead duck.
Two goals from Darren McHale
and one apiece by Darren Coen,
Ryan O’Donoghue and Tommy
Conroy guided Mayo to the
Connacht decider.
In a team without regulars
Rob Hennelly, Lee Keegan,
Kevin McLoughlin and Eoghan
McLaughlin, Conroy and
O’Donoghue led the charge
in a dangerous full-forward
combination. They bagged
2-9 between them and looked
extremely sharp and accurate.
James Horan had made four
switches from the Sligo game
following a week where the
squad dealt with “Covid-19
related queries”. Shortly before
throw-in, he made two further
changes to the starting team as
Bryan Walsh was the final player
to depart the line-up that was
announced the Friday before.
Keegan was ruled out with a
shoulder injury and watched the
game in the stand alongside
McLoughlin. Rory Byrne,
Padraig O’Hora and Stephen
Coen all came into the team.
Jordan Flynn also returned to
the side alongside Darren Coen,
who helped himself to 1-3 from
play.
Mayo led by 3-11 to 0-4 at the
interval and found themselves
5-14 to 0-4 clear by the 47th
minute. Leitrim did produce
a 10-minute good spell that
saw them register five points,
with Riordan O’Rourke looking
dangerous. Keith Beirne led
Leitrim’s charge with a fivepoint haul from frees.
Aidan O’Shea played a floating
full-forward role and kicked
a late point in his 150th
appearance for Mayo.
McHALE
AND HEARTY
Darren
McHale
wheels away
to celebrate
after grabbing
his side’s
second goal
of five in the
crushing win
over Leitrim
Picture:
Sportsfile