Heartbroken Mayo downed by late Donegal goal salvo
Mayo's Sean Regan sprints away from Donegal's Oisin Grant as he goes for goal. Picture: INPHO/Ben Brady
A gutsy and heroic Mayo fell just short in the Nicky Rackard Cup Final last Sunday as a flurry of goals late on helped Donegal to a record-breaking fourth title.
For long periods, it looked as if Donegal’s erratic shooting would be their undoing. They hit 18 wides over the 70-plus minutes, as well as four efforts dropping short in the first half, while Mayo were ruthlessly efficient in the first half to lead by four at half-time.
Even when Donegal raised their first green flag through Ruairí Campbell, Mayo responded brilliantly in firing six of the next eight points to restore their six point gap on 53 minutes.
That score was hit by Shane Boland, who finished with 0-9 on the day, but they would score only one more point for the remainder of the game. By the hour mark, Donegal wiped out Mayo’s lead in hitting 1-3 without reply before a two-goal salvo by substitute Josh Cronolly McGee in the 60th and 63rd minutes would end up being a mountain too tall for Mayo to climb.
The defeat was eerily similar to their final meeting in 2020, which went 3-18 to 0-21 in Donegal’s favour, and the Mayo players will be gutted by the heartbreaking loss, but they have made much progress in their first year under Ray Larkin and Brian Finn. Having captured the Division 3A title earlier this year, this squad looks well poised to go one step further in the Nicky Rackard next year, like they did in 2021 against Tyrone.
The first 20 minutes were an even affair, with the sides level on five occasions. John Heraty, Eoin Delaney, Shane Boland (two) and Liam Lavin were all on target for Mayo, as Donegal responded through Brian McIntyre, Ruairí Campbell (two), Danny Cullen and Gerard Gilmore.
The latter nudged Donegal ahead from a free but it all square again through Adrian Phillips. Mayo would hit the next three to open up a four point gap as Boland and Bobby Douglas both pointed from frees after Boland was fouled by Jack O’Loughlin and Danny Cullen, both of whom received yellow cards.
Cormac Phillips made it 0-9 to 0-5 in Mayo’s favour when Douglas saved superbly from Liam McKinney’s shot, with Gilmore converting the resulting 65’ for Donegal’s first score in ten minutes.
Mayo finished the half much stronger as points from Delaney, Sean Kenny and Boland put the Green and Red 0-12 to 0-8 ahead at half-time.
Donegal manager Michéal McCann rang the changes to try and stem the tide and one of those substitutions Peter Kelly pointed shortly after Liam Lavin scored his second point.
Boland, a free, and Sean Kenny made it a six-point gap but it was game on nine minutes into the second half when Campbell found the net after flicking on Conor Gartland’s pass into the net.
To Mayo’s credit, the response was as impressive as Donegal’s as Boland (three), Lavin, Sean Regan and Sean Kenny made it 0-21 to 1-12 with 17 minutes of normal time to be played but the tide was beginning to turn.
Donegal were winning all the breaks and battles across the field, with the impact off the bench beginning to prove critical. Two points from Gilmore (one free) and a monster score by Seán McVeigh halved Mayo’s lead when McVeigh beat David Kenny to the ball inside their own half to launch an attack down the field that involved McKinney and Oisin Grant before McGee hit a piledrive on the edge of the rectangle past the helpless Douglas.
Three minutes later, a sideline cut by Gilmore was launched into the square. It was not cleared by the Mayo defenders and McGee swung at it off the ground and into the net.
There was only winner from here. Stephen Gillespie and Ruairí Campbell put it beyond doubt, with a Shane Boland free in between the only response a deflated Mayo could muster.
