All-Ireland Final countdown: We can see Cleary now the pain has gone

In the long and painful list of ‘what if’ moments from All-Ireland senior football finals involving Mayo across the last 75 years, the stroke of a pen at Garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park all the way back in 1954 doesn’t usually register.

There isn’t a football or hurling team in Ireland, club or county, that hasn’t benefited from a blow-in or two and that hasn’t lost a stalwart at one time or another in their history.

Yet when Ned Cleary, a native of Ballindine, was sent to Bandon in West Cork for his first assignment after graduating from Templemore, it was to prove to be a momentous turning point for Cork football, and a loss that is impossible to quantify for Mayo.

Eight years later, Ned moved further down the road to Castlehaven and joined the local club, who at that time had one solitary Cork South West junior ‘B’ title on their roll of honour.

By the time Ned stepped down as trainer and chairman, Castlehaven were Munster senior champions, and were one of the leading football powers in the county.

Moreover, his son John was to go on and win two Cork SFC titles and three Munster championships with the club, but around these parts, he’s most remembered for scoring three points in the 1989 final, where Cork beat Mayo by exactly that margin, 0-17 to 1-11.

For further salt in the wound, John still remembers sharpening his skills on his trips up to the wider Cleary family.

“When I was young, we used to go for summer holidays, and even up to Christmas, because my grandparents lived there, and I had aunts and uncles. My uncle Henry was the postmaster in Claremorris, my uncle Joe was farming at home as well, and I had an aunt who worked in the post office in Ballindine as well,” he recalls.

“We used to have great games above with the locals! The next door neighbour would have been Gerry Kirrane, and his son Ronan Kirrane is now the secretary of Mayo, Gerry played for Mayo, and he had a brother, Martin, so we had many a great battle down in the field in front of my grandfather's house.” 

Many a great battle, but not a single transfer request. But perhaps because of where he comes from and the incredible legacy of his father, John is a firm believer in the idea that a history of failure doesn’t preclude success in the present and future.

“A lot of it is tradition, and a lot of it is being used to being there,” is what he says about the idea of cultural differences. “Sometimes they say you have to lose one or two, as we did in 1987 and 1988, before you can actually get over the line and then when you do get there after that, it possibly becomes that bit easier.” 

Having prepared Cork to take on both Kerry and Mayo in the 2026 championship, Cleary is more equipped than most to give his take on how things might play out on Sunday, though he feels that Andy Moran has more than earned the right to pick his own path when it comes to taking on the Kingdom.

“It would be remiss of me to give Andy any advice, he's been through it all himself as a player, and now as a manager. Everything he's done so far has been spot on, and I don't think that it will be any different this week. I do think going in this time, there isn't any false expectation, Kerry are the clear favourites, but having said that, Mayo have improved hugely as the year has gone on. They've a very, very good team, a particularly youthful team, and I think, you know, the fact that he's been there on numerous occasions will be a huge help to Mayo.” 

Digging deeper, the aspect of managing expectations when it comes to defending this high-powered attack will be crucial to Mayo’s cause this week, in Cleary’s opinion.

“Donegal didn't push out on Paudie (Clifford) last year and got lambasted for it and suffered from it. Other teams have done that, and Kerry made space inside for where David is, or where Paul Geaney is, or Dylan Geaney, and they've suffered there as well.

“It's a case that really everybody has to be on their toes, and you really have to cover that space, and also, you have to try and cover Paudie as well at the same time.

“It can be very, very difficult, and at times, it can be just damage limitation that you just make sure you don't give away two pointers or goals, and maybe a point mightn't be a bad result to give away at the end,” he says, suggesting that Mayo will need to be efficient, and to ensure that if they don’t score, what follows is a dead ball contest, and not a turnover.

“When you get your opportunities, you've got to take them. We felt that in Killarney in the Munster final, we didn't take all our opportunities, and if you don't against the top, top teams, it definitely will come back to bite you.

“I think you've got to try and limit them, and be fierce careful that you don't give a cheap turnover or ball into the goalie's hand or a ball that comes off the post. Kerry are such a good kick-passing team that I think that that's where they will definitely hurt you.

“That’s where it comes around into maybe the kick-outs around the middle and the breaks. Any of the close games of recent months have been won on the breaks and the kick-outs, and I've no reason to believe that it will be any different in the final now.” 

If going for a ‘bend but don’t break’ approach at one end is the way to go, Cleary is not convinced that the traditional all-out Mayo style of trying to turn games into chaotic shootouts is the right path to follow in attack.

“If it becomes a shootout, I think Kerry have more guns probably than anyone in the country, you know?” he posits, with consideration.

“Mayo have improved and their full-forward line has been excellent, but Kerry have been there before, the occasion won't faze them and they generally don't flop on any particular day, and particularly the big days.

“At times, Mayo might have to change tack a small bit and get a breather, and when they have possession to make sure that they kind of hold onto it, maybe for an extra 30 seconds, just to let the thing settle, rather than going gung-ho all the time.

“That maybe has been successful for them up to now, but playing Kerry is a different kettle of fish,” Cleary stated.

“I think what Mayo have is a lot of athleticism around their middle eight in particular and obviously in the full-forward line. Mayo move the ball very, very quickly.

“Their backs, maybe a lot of them aren't physically strong or whatever, but they're tenacious tacklers, they're very athletic and they move that ball with pace and get up to the danger area pretty quickly. Then you see the panel, with Tommy Conroy, Matthew Ruane, Fenton Kelly, they're bringing on pace all the time.” 

A chink of optimism perhaps? Will he be making the long journey to Croke Park with real belief that this will be the day that Mayo have longed for ever since Ned Cleary was back in Ballindine?

“Look, my heart says Mayo. I won't be insulting any Kerry people by saying that I hope Mayo will win because of my family connections and everything.

“My heart says Mayo, but my head says Kerry by a couple of points. But look, I do believe that it's going to be very, very close and would it surprise me if Mayo won? It wouldn't, because of their improvement, because of where they're set up, and because of the scoring prowess they have.

“But I just feel maybe that Kerry might get over the line.” 

Those pesky lines. Like the one that Ned Cleary signed all those years ago, agreeing to move so far from home. They don’t have to be big to be consequential.