Captain Kenny’s delight at derby triumph

Mayo scored 2-16 when held to a draw by Roscommon in last year’s Nicky Rackard Cup. They scored 3-14 in the second-half alone last Sunday, in an absolute demolition of the Shannonsiders in the National Hurling League. Coupled with a surprise defeat for Wicklow away to Cavan, the result has put Mayo in prime position to reach the Division 3 final, albeit with two rounds of games still to play.

To have trailed the Rossies for much of the opening half hour yet still inflict a 19-points defeat, speaks volumes about just how dominant the Green and Red were after half-time.

“We’re delighted with that, especially the second-half performance. It was wind-assisted but we’re delighted,” team captain David Kenny told the Western People afterwards.

“The first-half was about keeping it tight and we knew we had the legs so we worked hard in that second-half and we got our reward.” A scoreboard that had read 0-11 to 1-6 in Mayo’s favour at the interval read 3-25 to 1-12 at full-time, with two goals by the excellent Cormac Phillips and one by Liam Lavin, his third in four games, seeing Ray Larkin’s side offer the perfect response to their first defeat of the season, against London, eight days earlier.

“Our wide count was very high that day so it was a bit disappointing in that respect but our honesty and work-rate was there, so we did pick positives from it. I suppose you could say it was two points left behind but all going well, we might meet them again.” 

And David Kenny is right. There is every chance Mayo and London could cross swords once more in the Division 3 final, with Mayo and Wicklow locked on six points behind table toppers London, but with Mayo having a game in hand on the Garden County who they will play in the final round. First up, however, Mayo next Sunday visit an Armagh team that picked up its first win of the season away to Sligo at the weekend.

“It’s a tough place to go, they love playing up there,” says David Kenny. We’ve had plenty of history with them as well, always tight games. Battle in Armagh first and we’ll take it from there.” 

Roscommon had started Sunday’s clash in Tooreen brightly and led 1-1 to no score after five minutes, the goal drilled home by Cathal Kenny after he latched on to Connell Kennelly’s low delivery and turned Mayo corner-back Conor Murray. And that goal remained between the sides after 20 minutes until points by Shane Boland, Cormac Phillips, from a ’65, and Liam Lavin drew Mayo level for the first time. A Boland free nudged the hosts in front in the 29th minute, 0-8 to 1-4, and the Green and Red never looked back, with nine different players on the scoresheet at full-time.

“We always know that it’s a massive, massive battle. We’ll meet them again in championship and I’m sure they’ll have something more to say that day. We’ll do our work between now and then and we’ll be prepared for them in championship, please God,” said David Kenny for whom last season’s defeat to Donegal in the final of the Nicky Rackard Cup remains a sore point.

“It has to be a goal, to build strength in a panel. I found in Croke Park last year, we were looking to our bench and while we had players, and we had impact, we could do with more. And definitely it’s something we’re working on this year, building impact off the bench.

“Every team has to have it now. They call them finishers, as clichéd as it is, but you need them, so we’re building finishers there.” 

Full-forward Cormac Phillips buried his – and Mayo’s – first goal in the 41st minute, but it was his second, in the 67th minute, that was an absolute showstopper. Oisin Greally, who had another excellent outing at full-back, fired in a low ball and while Joseph Burke missed the initial pick up, Phillips swooped in behind his attacking colleague and lifted the ball before unleashing a rocket into the top right corner of the Roscommon net from outside the 20-metre line.

“Savage, [there is] some strength in his strike. He’s an asset to have, for puck-outs, free-taking, and he was on point today,” remarked Kenny. “All the lads up there, well done to them, they never stopped working and never stopped giving it their all.” 

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Allianz Hurling League Division 3 – Round 6 

Sunday, February 9 

1.30pm at BOX-IT Athletic Grounds 

Armagh v Mayo