1) Ferocious Westerners manage to keep the score down in fine fashion
FOR Mayo to get their hands on the Holy Grail after seven previous final defeats, something needed to be very different this time around. From the outset, their work-rate simply had to be more ferocious and aggressive than ever before. Did we see that? I think we did. Six turnovers in the first eight minutes signalled their intention that every Dublin possession would be fought with real pressure. When Brendan Harrison stripped Bernard Brogan of the ball in the first few minutes it set a marker down. The slippy conditions played a huge part but Mayo looked like a team ready for war. Amidst the combat, they also needed to quieten the Dublin key men like Diarmuid Connolly, Brogan, Kevin McManamon, Paul Flynn and Ciaran Kilkenny. They did that superbly. Dublin only got a single point from those five key men. This meant that the low-scoring game which Mayo needed would materialise.
2) Mayo’s ability to dig deep kept them in the mix
MOST of all, Mayo needed to bring an unbreakable spirit. Let’s be honest, it’s not as if they hadn’t conceded poor goals in their previous All-Ireland final defeats. How they would respond this time around was going to be crucial. Sometimes those scars can plant the seeds of doubt but, with the right mindset, they had the resilience to ensure that this time around it was going to be different. In a perverse sort of way, perhaps Mayo needed to go to that place again and answer that question in a different manner. Against the run of play, Dublin hit both goals but it was the way in which Mayo responded that mattered most. After the second goal, full-back Donal Vaughan immediately responded with a huge score. Five down at the break, they hit the first four scores of the second half. And again just before Cillian O’Connor’s equaliser, the full-back struck with another point to put the bare minimum between the sides. Five down at half-time and three points adrift on 68 minutes, Mayo showed serious character to stick to the plan.
3) Shocking day for O’Shea brothers
SEAMUS O’Shea was an absolute liability for Mayo. His inability to track Brian Fenton during open play was a major handicap for Stephen Rochford’s side, causing one goal and almost leading to another. Aidan O’Shea also had an intriguing tussle with Philly McMahon that left me convinced the Ballymun man has his number. I didn’t agree with some of the sentiment out there that O’Shea was being constantly fouled. He looked to be playing for the free every time and little came off him. When he played inside, he was outnumbered and outfought in the aerial exchanges. When he pulled out the field he choose to kick in high ball that was never to Mayo’s advantage. Ahead of the replay, Mayo need to consider playing him in a role where he is coming on to the play more, rather than waiting for the ball.
4) Dublin forwards come up short
MAYO would have set themselves the target of conceding no more than 15 or 16 points. The fact that their own full-forward line scored 0-5 from play, compared to just O-2 from a prolific Dublin inside line was huge. But that’s where the goals became all the more significant, giving Dublin massive breathing space and initiative when the game was tight. It was the unlikely men who produced for both teams. Johnny Small and Brian Fenton drove Dublin forward to great effect when no space was to be had for their prolific forwards.
5) Dubs will surely improve for replay
MAYO had their own unlikely heroes too. Key forwards Andy Moran and Cillian O’Connor did come up with some big scores, but Alan Dillon has had the reputation as being a choker on All-Ireland final day but he got the score to level at 0-12 each. Diarmuid Connolly was well contained by Lee Keegan and became riled. With 76 minutes on the clock and a point up, Connolly wrestled the ball off Ciaran Kilkenny to hit a sideline. That was a step back to an era when Dublin footballers were all about ego and not the team. A simple tap pass would have killed the game. Dublin played poorly but threw the game away when they looked destined to close it out. But for all the controversy, black cards, and close calls, the most significant refereeing moment was perhaps the kick-out immediately after the Cillian O’Connor equaliser. Cluxton rolled it along the ground to Denis Bastick who lifted it off the ground. At that stage Dublin had succumbed to what Mayo had set out to do in the first place and that was to unnerve them. It should have been a free in and victory for Mayo. Conditions played a huge part yesterday but so did the two blunders for the Dublin goals. If you were to ask yourself which team has most room for improvement in the replay, then it is hard to look past Dublin.
