Donegal 3-17 Mayo 0-22
Donegal claimed their fourth ever Nicky Rackard Cup title as they finished on the front foot to edge Mayo by four points in their thrilling decider at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon.
Mayo held the upper hand for the bulk of the contest but a brace of goals from substitute Josh Cronolly McGee in the final quarter helped turn the tide irrevocably in Donegal’s favour.
A tight encounter was anticipated in advance and the early jousts reflected that as Mayo opened up on the front foot through early points by John Heraty and Eoin Delaney.
Donegal struggled for primary possession initially but gradually began to make inroads up front following scores in quick succession through Brian McIntyre and Ruairí Campbell.
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With neither side able to place concerted pressure on their opponents, the nip and tuck on the scoreboard continued as Gerard Gilmore and Liam Lavin exchanged points to leave the teams deadlocked by the 14th minute.
Gilmore looked lively for Donegal as he added two points from placed balls but, crucially, Mayo were coming by their scores far more easily as Heraty and Adrian Philips added to their tally.
A string of three successive points handed Mayo a valuable platform with Shane Boland, goalkeeper Bobby Douglas and Cormac Philips all on target as the contest threatened to run away from Donegal.
However, they still managed to create the solitary goal chance of the first half in the 28th minute as Liam McKinney raced through down the right flank but his low shot was well repelled by Douglas at his near post.
Gilmore converted the resultant 65 by way of consolation but Donegal continued to be wasteful in front of goal, whether shooting wide or dropping the ball short into the grateful possession of Douglas.
Mayo availed of their opponents’ profligacy as they clipped over another trio of unanswered points through Delaney, Seán Kenny and Boland with a late McKinney point leaving Donegal facing an 0-12 to 0-8 deficit by half-time.
Mayo’s accuracy was in marked contrast to that of Donegal as Lavin extended their lead in the early stages of the second-half with a cracking strike from distance.
While substitute Peter Kelly made an instant impact at the opposite end, Donegal fell further behind as Boland and Kenny added points to the Mayo tally.
Donegal were in dire need of some inspiration at this juncture and it duly arrived in the 45th minute as Gilmore’s shot dropped short but Campbell showcased his predatory instincts as he flicked home past the motionless Douglas.
Mayo responded well to this body blow through points from Lavin and the influential Boland but they had no answer to Cronolly McGee’s superb, rising shot in the 61st minute.
His second goal, three minutes later, may have lacked the aesthetic qualities of his earlier effort but proved no less significant, handing his team a grip on proceedings that they never looked like loosening in the closing stages.
Donegal: L White; C Curran, S Gillespie, G Browne; S McBride, J O’Loughlin, S McVeigh (0-2); G Gilmore (0-6, two frees, one ‘65), C O’Grady; C Gartland, L McKinney (0-2), B McIntyre (0-1); S Ward, D Cullen (0-2), R Campbell (1-3).
Subs: J Cronolly McGee (2-0) for O’Loughlin (half-time), P Kelly (0-1) for McIntyre (half-time), O Grant for Ward (half-time), R McDermott for Gartland (48), P Doherty for Browne (59).
Mayo: B Douglas (0-1, free); S Kenny (0-3), O Greally, C Murray; C Hession, D Kenny, E Collins; D Huane, J Heraty (0-1); S Regan (0-1), A Philips (0-1), L Lavin (0-3); S Boland (0-9, four frees), C Philips (0-1), E Delaney (0-2).
Subs: K Feeney for A Philips (52), M Farrell for Heraty (64), J Burke for C Philips (65).
Referee: Peter Owens (Down).
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