Gaelic Games

Tyrone break Mayo hearts to become All-Ireland champions

Ryan O’Donoghue misses a second half penalty as Mayo’s barren run continues

Tyrone’s Niall Kelly celebrates after the game with Hugh Patrick McGeary after they beat Mayo to win the All-Ireland. Photo: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

Malachy Clerkin's face
Malachy Clerkin at Croke Park
Sat Sep 11 2021 - 19:30

Tyrone 2-14 Mayo 0-15

You don’t get many more unlikely All-Irelands than this. Tyrone, a year after the end of the Mickey Harte era. Tyrone, a month after they had decided they had no option but to pull out of the championship. Tyrone, who faced the last three Ulster champions and two teams they hadn’t beaten in 13 years in Kerry and Mayo. That same Tyrone are now All-Ireland champions.

When it came right down to it here, they scored the goals that Mayo spent their day missing. Cathal McShane and Darren McCurry palmed/fisted home their opportunities in the second half to separate the Ulster champions from a Mayo side that will spend another winter grimacing and keening over so many missed opportunities. James Horan’s side made a mess of four goal chances including a penalty. That’s never going to get it done.

Tyrone won’t worry about that. This was no classic but it was all they needed. It surprised nobody that long stretches of this one were taut and tense, cranked tight like nuts on a car-wheel. There were turnovers and tackles, misses and mistakes. Both found it hard to find the freedom the biggest day demands. If you’re gonna have jailbreak, you’re gonna have to do some time.

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Mayo’s Lee Keegan with Darren McCurry of Tyrone. Photo: Tommy Dickson/Inpho

Mayo actually looked to have settled better early on. After conceding a goal in just 13 seconds last year, they came up with a score of their own in the same length of time here. Aidan O’Shea won the throw-in and picked out Tommy Conroy and the bucking young forward ran Paudie Hampsey and kicked a boomer to get things going. When Ryan O’Donoghue iced a testing free soon after, it was clear that Mayo’s strike men had found their feet early.

But Tyrone don’t go away. Never have, never will. Niall Morgan landed a free from the Clonliffe Road, Hampsey sallied forward and got on the end of a gorgeous kick pass from his full-back line partner Ronan McNamee to nail one of his own. When Darren McCurry stuck his first free of the day again on 10 minutes, the Ulster champions were 0-3 to 0-2 ahead. They were never behind again.

Ahead and playing the better stuff, all in all. Morgan was getting plenty of joy out of his kick-outs, especially going long to Conn Kilpatrick and Brian Kennedy around the middle. Rob Hennelly was having to squeeze more out of less when it came to the Mayo ones.

For all that, it was Mayo who found themselves with the game’s first goal chance. O’Donoghue was buzzing around the place looking for mischief and when he laced a smart ball inside to Bryan Walsh on 15 minutes, the Mayo wing-forward was all alone inside. He hesitated and gave Morgan a chance to hassle him, meaning that when the ball squirted loose, the goal was gaping for Conor Loftus. He snatched at it however and Niall Sludden got back to clear it off the line.

O’Donoghue followed up with his second point soon after but McCurry hit straight back with a point from the Tyrone kick-out. Kieran McGeary landed one from distance and Sludden slotted a couple of assured kicks from out on the left. Paddy Durcan and an O’Donoghue free kept Mayo in it but it was all flowing more smoothly for Tyrone.

Niall Morgan celebrates his side’s first goal. Photo: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

They could have trampolined away if McCurry had been more clinical on the half-hour mark. A brilliant long ball from Morgan was flicked on by Conor McKenna, leaving McCurry one-on-one with Hennelly. He tried a low one but the Mayo keeper got his right leg out.

To-and-fro, back and forth. Pádraig O’Hora was lucky not to see a black card giving away a free that McCurry pointed. Mayo were unlucky not to get a penalty for a Kieran McGeary free just outside the large square. It all washed out as a 0-10 to 0-8 half-time lead for Tyrone.

Mayo will kick themselves for the third quarter. They came with the full blood and thunder routine and didn’t get anywhere near enough for it. Conroy skinned Hampsey to get in on goal and pulled his shot wide on 39 minutes. In pretty much the next breath, a long ball into the Tyrone goalmouth caused a scramble and when Frank Burns fell on the ball on the goalline, Joe McQuillan spread his arms wide.

This was it. Mayo were coming, they had had all the play and all the momentum since the restart - all they needed was the goal that would put them ahead. But O’Donoghue’s shot was high and right and instead of the top corner, he struck the junction of crossbar and post. Hennelly finally landed a free from 60 metres soon after to get the second half scoring underway in the 45th minute but Mayo had to feel it was half a loaf.

Mayo’s Ryan O’Donoghue misses a penalty. Photo: James Crombie/Inpho

And when a goal did come, it came at the other end two minutes later. Cathal McShane came off the bench and went in at the edge of the square. He pulled a perfect heel dig to get in behind Oisín Mullin and got a perfect flick to Conor Meyler’s ball in. Everything about it was what Tyrone would have wanted - the ideal introduction, the stunning delivery from Meyler, the subtlest of touches from McShane.

Tyrone led now by 1-10 to 0-9 and although Mayo hit back with the next score - an O’Donoghue free - they didn’t have the composure to inch their way back into matters. Walsh blazed wide when a simple ball across could have brought a goal and a calm shot would have guaranteed a point. Loftus dropped one short and pulled two wide. It was a squanderfest.

By contrast, Tyrone gorged on the scraps they were able to get their hands on at the other end. On 59 minutes, Kilpatrick took a huge fetch from a Morgan kick-out and sent McKenna away. Two-on-one, an easy slip inside and McCurry tapped it home. An hour gone, Tyrone 2-10 Mayo 0-11.

Tyrone had only scored twice in the 25 minutes since half-time. Both of them were goals. Mayo kept at it but the misses drained the spirit from them. Add it all up and it was the winning and losing of the day.

So off they go, the first All-Ireland to cross the border since they did it themselves in 2008. A month ago, they were full sure they were withdrawing from the competition. Now they are champions. Some story. Some team.

Tyrone: 1. Niall Morgan (0-3, two frees, one 45); 2. Michael McKernan, 3. Ronan McNamee , 4. Pádraig Hampsey (capt; 0-1); 6. Peter Harte (0-1, mark), 7. Kieran McGeary (0-1), 5. Frank Burns; 8. Brian Kennedy, 9. Conn Kilpatrick; 11. Michael O'Neill, 12. Niall Sludden (0-2), 10. Conor Meyler; 13. Darren McCurry (1-4, two points frees), 14. Mattie Donnelly (0-1), 15. Conor McKenna.

Subs: 23. Cathal McShane (1-0) for Kennedy (44 mins), 18. Darragh Canavan (0-1) for O'Neill (53 mins), 22. McDonnell for Kennedy (57 mins), 19. Paul Donaghy for McKenna (66 mins), 21. Tiarnan McCann for Kilpatrick (73 mins),

Mayo: 1. Rob Hennelly (0-1, free); 3. Lee Keegan (0-1), 6. Stephen Coen (0-1), 2. Pádraig O'Hora, 4. Michael Plunkett, 19. Oisín Mullen, 5. Patrick Durcan (0-1); 8. Matthew Ruane, 10. Diarmuid O'Connor; 9. Conor Loftus, 13. Kevin McLaughlin (0-1), 12. Bryan Walsh, 14. Tommy Conroy (0-1), 11. Aidan O'Shea (capt), 15. Ryan O'Donoghue (0-8, seven frees).

Subs: 7. Enda Hesion (0-1) for Plunkett (half-time), 21. Jordan Flynn for O'Hora (52 mins), 24. Darren Coen for Walsh (58 mins), 25. Aidan Orme for Loftus (66 mins), 26. James Carr for McLoughlin (74 mins).

Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan).