Mayo's win leaves pundits eating humble pie

Well. Where does one start? It has all been said in the wonderful Western People All-Ireland special edition. Even Fr Brendan threw off the collar (well sort of!) to recall the men of ’51 and the great Tom Langan who inspired the young lads in Ballycastle in days of yore when men were men.

Somewhat hidden and perhaps forgotten in the euphoria of Mayo’s victory in Croke Park was that this was an excellent, enthralling and entertaining game of football. It was not just Mayo, but Kerry made a significant contribution too. That is what you expect from the aristocrats of the GAA. They have the titles to prove their aristocracy. And it was all the greater to beat them.

I have to admit, reluctantly, that I shed a tear (more than one, if the truth be told) at the final whistle. I was seated beside a lovely lady from Breaffy and we hugged. She had taken pity on me and was taking care of me as if I was one of her own. Members of my family gathered around and we hugged. How they managed to move in a heaving Croke Park is beyond me. It was a special time.

I’m not much into this notion of Mayo for Sam or ending 75 years of hurt. I’ve been around a long time and I have never been bothered by the curse or the distance between now and 1951. I have enjoyed many great outings following Mayo. Of course there were disappointments but the glorious days, even in defeat, far outweighed the disappointments. That was never truer than in the Horan/Rochford/Horan eras of recent times. Mayo played great football. We could have and should have won an All-Ireland or two but had to give way to the best ever (according to the so-called experts) team that ever existed - Dublin.

Dublin were great, six-in-a-row speaks for itself, but Mayo matched them every step of the way. We beat a team of All-Stars everywhere but on the scoreboard. There was nothing lost in defeat in those games. They were tense, nerve-wracking encounters. Mayo attacked Dublin, not giving a damn for their reputations and they entertained during an era when the game had been destroyed by negative managers and tacticians.

Some of the commentariat and punters have lauded the final as one of the great games of all time. Their comments and plaudits were nice to see and hear. It is always heartening to hear such tributes when Mayo are involved. I take my hat off to Jim Gavin, James Horan and the members of the Football Review Committee for saving Gaelic football. Without their contribution, Sunday’s game could not have reached the heights that it did.

I’ve made the point here that I was not a fan of the two-point score. I thought it was complicated and that the GAA, and particularly clubs, could save a fortune in lime by abolishing the arc. However, my mind is changing and when Jack Carney kicked that two-pointer to start the Mayo comeback I leapt out of my seat, arm outstretched in a fist to the gods, as if there was nothing wrong with my back.

Andy was patrolling the sideline out in front (well a bit to the left) of where I was sat. He saw the two-pointer, he savoured it and, if he was bothered at all by Kerry and David Clifford’s outrageous start, then his concerns started to abate. He knew Mayo were there for the fight. He probably knew it all along but this was vindication.

There were numerous outstanding moments throughout this game but the one that stands out for me was in those dying seconds when Kobe was put in possession on the Cusack Stand sideline. Practically all of Croke Park, as well as Midwest Radio, roared at him to hold the ball, to keep possession, to deny Kerry another chance. Kobe ignored the collective wisdom of the crowd, he brought the ball to the Kerry men, saw an opportunity to attack and putting on the afterburners, left a defender clutching at straws. He saw Tommy Conroy and placed a perfect pass in front of him, then went for the return. Kobe could have and would have goaled.

But Tommy, with the benefit of experience, took the sure option and punched the point that put the game out of Kerry’s reach. Kobe showed the exuberance of youth, adventurous, attacking class. Bar misfortune or injury, St Kilda’s will benefit from their contract with Kobe McDonald. At home we can’t complain. He played his part in securing the All-Ireland for Mayo. Just recall his 50 (or 45 or whatever they call it now). He was denied a goal to earn the 50. He did not fall on his knees in mock horror. He just took the ball and retreated at a leisurely pace to place the ball on the ground. There was no looking around for validation, no calling up the goalkeeper, ball on the ground, a couple of steps back and bang. Over the black spot. Another eruption from the Mayo support.

As the Green and Red of Mayo resounded time and again around the sacred citadel that is Croke Park on All-Ireland final day, the crowd finally gave way to allow for the presentation of the Sam Maguire Cup and there followed the second outstanding moment of a momentous day when Jack Coyne held 80,000 people in thrall with a most thrilling and thoughtful acceptance speech. His reference to the supporters and the diaspora and the young people of Mayo to their rightful pride in their county was spot on. He urged everyone to be proud of Mayo. His contribution was class but modest and measured. And he mentioned those down through the decades who had contributed to Mayo’s standing as a proud, exciting, footballing county.

I happened to bump into the Meath referee David Gough after the game. He was pleased, as most neutrals were, that Mayo had finally made the breakthrough. Not surprisingly he asked what I thought of the referee. And my response was that the referee could be sitting in the stand with me for all he had to do during the game. The referee was anonymous, the way referees should be. It’s a tribute to both teams that the game passed without incident or criticism of the ref. The players got on with the game and contributed hugely to a great occasion.

I also happened to meet former Kerry great, Eoin 'Bomber' Liston. I was careful not to bump into him. He is still a big man. He was gracious in defeat. His verdict was that the better team, on the day, won and he did not begrudge Mayo. There was no reference to Kerry over-confidence, to injuries or excuses. It was simple, the better team won.

During the game there was one thing that disappointed and that was the booing, particularly of David Clifford when he was lining up for the two-point opportunity with an early free from outside the arc. He kicked it wide and the cheering from relieved Mayo supporters was through the roof. Booing is a fairly recent innovation in Croke Park. It is something to be greatly discouraged. The problem with booing is that it only takes one yobbo to start and others, with no agenda, sheep-like join in. It’s a bit like the blowing of horns at the toll bridges. It can be eerily quiet and then someone starts and the cacophony erupts. The blowing of horns, however, is a much nicer sound than the booing.

Punditry is hardly an exact science. It is not a science at all and could more accurately be described as pure codswallop. All the pundits concluded that Mayo did not have any real hope of an All-Ireland victory. They based their conclusions on the fact that Mayo had an easy run to the final. They ignored the fact that Mayo had travelled to the fortress that is Omagh and were deprived of a victory over Tyrone by a last-minute two-pointer kicked by Niall Morgan from an impossible angle and distance after a much disputed free.

They ignored the fact that Mayo beat whatever team was put in front of them. They then made much of the fact that Kerry managed to overcome Tyrone and later Dublin to reach the final. Kerry were gods after beating two Division 2 teams. They overlooked the fact that Mayo overcame two very good teams in Cork and Louth. They especially overlooked the fact that they had made both Cork and Louth favourites to beat Mayo. So, all in all, they did not exactly cover themselves in glory.

I was more surprised than disappointed when manager Andy Moran referred to the sneering that has followed Mayo. It is hardly a new phenomenon and I’m not aware of what he was referring to. Maybe it was the pundits but perhaps it was social media. Social media is a mess that should be ignored. Now that Mayo are champions and when the good vibes die down we can expect even more sneering. Unfortunately. That’s the way the world is nowadays.