MAKING that breakthrough in GAA is nothing new to teams from the once forgotten six counties as our association was nearly 80-years-old before the brave men from Down had the fortitude to be the first team to carry Sam across the border.
It was the best part of another 25 years before Pete McGrath and Eamon Coleman had the audacity to bring the trophy back again. And with Armagh and Tyrone also making the breakthrough in the noughties, we know how hard it is to accomplish - even if certain counties like Kerry and Dublin didn’t find the task that daunting at all.
Mayo stand on the edge of a cliff in their quest to finally take that leap of faith and bury all the negativity, opinions and nonsense that has been peddled about them for years. It’s amazing to think no-one is really giving Mayo a chance on Sunday, even though they should have beaten a better Dublin team twice last year at the semi-final stage, which went to a replay. Dublin lost Rory Carroll and Jack Caffrey, yet many are assuming they will blow Stephen Rochford’s men away with consummate ease to give Jim Gavin what he really craves - back-to-back All-Irelands.
Obviously, the odds are stacked against the westerners in light of the form guide going into Sunday’s encounter. They even have the supposed curse over them, the albatross around their neck, which I also find quite laughable. I remember doing a talk night where I was asked about the ‘curse’ hanging over Mayo since 1951 when a priest is supposed to have said they would never win Sam until all members from their winning team had passed away after they had apparently refused to pay respect to a funeral. I asked the host how many of that team were still alive and he replied three, to which I replied with tongue firmly in cheek we would have taken care of that by now in south Armagh.
Curses, form guides and history have no say as to who will win on Sunday. Only the team that dares to create their own history will come out on top and this is where Mayo have faltered on occasion, when they should have pushed on and grabbed their opportunity.
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In 2002 ( I know, boring, but it’s the only final I have experience of!), we should have been out of sight against Kerry at half-time as they were all over us and we were clinging on when John Bannon blew the half-time whistle. I have heard many stories since then of Armagh supporters having huddled together during the interval, quietly surrendering to the fact we were probably going to lose and, sure, wasn’t it great to just be here at all...
Many stories have been written about Armagh’s second-half performance and many will point to Oisin McConville’s goal or Stevie McDonnell’s winning point. For me, it was all so much more straightforward. At the start of the second-half, Kieran McGeeney made a block from Dara Ó Cinnéide and Mike Frank Russell received a slightly late challenge from Francie Bellew minutes later, which rattled his teeth as he screwed the ball wide in anticipation of being hit by the man made of granite.
There was a sudden change in their body language as they realised we were not lying down and going away. All the things that had come so easily to them in the first-half were not happening and it got through to us that these men were not Gods from another footballing planet. We realised we were more than a match for them and, ultimately, that was how the match changed.
If Mayo are to emerge victorious on Sunday, they must push up and stand toe-to-toe, face-to-face with all Dublin have to throw at them and keep asking questions of every Dublin player. If they don’t, then the Dubs will do as most expect and dominate the game.
Kerry pushed up on Dublin, and particularly Cluxton’s kick-outs, which rattled the favourites. And the Kingdom just fell short in an absolute classic, which should surely prompt Mayo to replicate that effort and intensity. I don’t know how many interviews I have read this week which have stated Mayo are dependent upon Cillian O’Connor and Aidan O’Shea having big matches on Sunday. I find that fascinating because I would say Rochford will need 15 or 16 players from goalkeeper out in order to play better than they have done all year and take Sam west.
Dublin, on the other hand, have been getting by without the usual high standards of some of their big names - Bernard Brogan has been substituted in the last two games. However, they have the luxury of having a bench that would probably challenge most other county panels in the country, such is the diversity of talent.
We asked Ulster GAA stars who would lift Sam on Sunday:
Seán Óg de Paor, a Galway legend and mate of mine, asked me last week what Tony McEntee brought to the Mayo table and my answer was simple. He brings the Crossmaglen attitude of no fear allied with a little arrogance - that they are the equal of, if not better than, anyone out there. Mayo will need this mindset from the beginning of the match, where they must feed their own confidence and quieten the massive Dublin support, which will be roaring the boys in blue on.
Earlier in the week, fellow columnist Daniel Hughes talked about the pain of losing his only All-Ireland final appearance, so one can only imagine what these Mayo players will feel should they fail to banish their final demons for once and for all.
