Mayo aim to end near half century wait for glory
Mayo players celebrate at the full-time whistle following their semi-final win against Kildare. The Green and Red are seeking to win a first All-Ireland U16 'A' title since 1976.
After waiting 28 years to contest an All-Ireland U16 ‘A’ final, Mayo find themselves in the decider for the second time in as many years, with a familiar opponent waiting in the wings tomorrow (Wednesday) evening.
Last year’s panel reached the All-Ireland final for the first time at this age grade since 1996, a year that saw the Mayo side contain future All-Ireland senior winners such as Cora Staunton, Michelle McGing and Claire Egan. This year’s group will hope to join a very exclusive club and bridge another long gap by winning it.
You would have to go back to 1976 since Mayo’s first and only title at this level, defeating Kilkenny in the inaugural competition. The future of the stripey women might have lay in another code but footballing royalty in the shape of Kerry are between Mayo ending a 49-year wait or back-to-back All-Ireland defeats – and followers of Mayo Gaelic football need no reminding of our own history there.
“It’s a huge test, and that's Kerry,” said Mayo manager Francis Regan, in his second year in charge of the Green and Red. “Kerry are a footballing county. They always have and always will be. It's two stalwarts of Gaelic football in Ireland going head-to-head. I couldn't look forward to it even more.”
Up until the Connacht final, Mayo’s progress had been relatively serene. Impressive wins over Galway, Leitrim and Sligo set up a showdown with Roscommon in the provincial final. In a gruelling encounter, a late point by Katie Hughes secured back-to-titles for Regan’s side, and a third Connacht title in a row at the U16 grade.
A tough semi-final was expected against Leinster champions Kildare but a goal-hungry Mayo overpowered the Lilywhites, putting five majors past them in an electric display. The performance evoked memories of a year previously against Kerry, where Mayo produced an outstanding game to win that semi-final also.
These two teams will be familiar from their battles at U14 and U16 level. As well as meeting in last year’s U16 semi-final, Kerry beat Mayo in an earlier All-Ireland U14 semi-final so Regan knows there will be no room for complacency in the decider.
“Nothing is ever won after a semi-final. We know the disappointment and heartbreak from last year and we want to go that one step further this year. We're in that position and it's sixty minutes away from All-Ireland glory,” said the Mayo manager.
The Mayo squad will be all too aware of not getting carried away. In the final last year, Cavan blitzed them in the first quarter and while Mayo responded well, the damage was done early doors.
Seventeen players from last year’s panel remain. A cruciate injury has meant Emma Stagg, one of the heroes of Mayo’s All-Ireland U14 success in 2023, has seen no action this year but the scoring load has been shared by their full-forward line. Mikayla McLoughlin, Katie Hughes and Emily Duffy – the latter two involved in last year’s All-Ireland final – all found the net against Kildare and are backed by Saelaith Dillon and another 2024 panellist, Aoibhinn McNamara.
Isabelle Basquille, Sophie Tiernan, Ailbhe Ferguson and Grace Bailey also remain key figures in the team and their experience will be crucial, as will all members of the panel who are called upon.
“It's not about making yourself look good. If you can make the player beside you look good, you're doing a great job. That's a team player. We've 32 excellent team players. Even the girls that came on, like Niamh Curran who got her first competitive game time off the bench, Sadhbh Mooney came off the bench… girls that didn't even feature in the [Connacht] final, so we have that strength in depth.”
Kerry themselves are looking for their own redemption after the defeat to Mayo last year. After narrowly beating Cork in the Munster final, they fired a warning shot by defeating the reigning champions Cavan in the other semi-final. Eimear Dillane, Leah Griffin, Lily Riordan, Doireann O’Neill and Jessie Lynch all started against Mayo last year and remain key cogs who will require special attention.
It may have been one-sided affair last year, but fine margins will decide this one.
