ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW 1TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 • THE MAYO NEWS

Mayo under 21s bid to bring back All-Ireland medalsM d 21 bid t b i

FOR HONOUR AND GLORY

Pic

: M

ichael M

cLaughlin

THE MAYO NEWS • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW2 ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW 3TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 • THE MAYO NEWS

BETTING ODDSTO WINMayo 11/8

Cork 8/11

Draw 15/2

HANDICAPCork (-1) 11/10

Mayo (+1) 10/11

Handicap Draw (-1) 7/1

THE REFEREEPADRAIG HUGHES (ARMAGH)MAYO fans have seen quite a bit of Hughes in

recent years as he’s popped up to referee

everything from our 2010 National League Final

defeat to Cork, our league semi-fi nal loss to

Derry in 2014, and our Connacht champion-

ship win over Galway last summer.

Hughes was also in charge of Mayo’s National

League defeat to Dublin in Castlebar earlier this

Spring.

After both semi-fi nal referees coming in for

harsh criticism earlier this month, it’s no

surprise that the GAA have gone for an

experienced match offi cial for next weekend.

THE MAYO SQUADTHERE are 32 players in Michael Solan’s Mayo

under 21 championship panel.

They are: Eddie Doran (Achill), Conor Kilkenny,

Ciaran Harrison, Fergal Boland, David Kenny,

James Lyons (Aghamore); James Carr (Ardagh);

Matthew Flanagan, Val Roughneen, Barry Duffy

(Balla); Sharoize Akram, Seamus Cunniffe, Ryan

Lynch (Ballagh’); Mikey Murray (Ballina Stephen-

ites); Diarmuid O’Connor, Michael Plunkett

(Ballintubber); Morgan Lyons (Ballyhaunis); Eoin

O’Donoghue, James Kelly, Scott Kilker (Belmul-

let); Michael Hall, Matthew Ruane, Liam Irwin

(Breaffy); Seán Conlon (Castlebar Mitchels);

Conor Loftus, Fionán Duffy (Crossmolina);

Stephen Coen (Hollymount/Carramore); Jason

Forkan, TJ Byrne (Kiltimagh); Colm Reape

(Knockmore); Padraig Prendergast (Louisburgh);

Brian Reape (Moy Davitts).

COVER PICTUREOUR image on the front of this supplement

features the jersey worn by JP Kean in the

1974 All-Ireland under-21 fi nal, along with his

All-Ireland minor and under-21 winners’ medals

from 1971 and ‘74.

THE BIG MATCH ZONE WITH MIKE FINNERTY

MAYO’S LAST FIVE ALL-IRELAND U-21 FINALS2006 Mayo 1-13, Cork 1-11 (Ennis)

2004 Armagh 2-8, Mayo 1-9 (Cavan)

1995 Kerry 3-10, Mayo 1-12 (Thurles, R)

1995 Kerry 2-12, Mayo 3-9 (Tullamore)

1994 Cork 1-12, Mayo 1-5 (Ennis)

DID YOU KNOW?

MAYO’S All-Ireland winning under 21 captains

are Willie Loftus from Ballina (1967), John Culkin

from Ardnaree Sarsfi elds (1974), Eddie Gibbons

from The Neale (1983) and Keith Higgins from

Ballyhaunis (2006).

KEY NUMBER

4ALL-IRELAND under 21 football titles won by Mayo.

They beat Kerry after a replay in 1967 (4-9 to 1-7)

and also needed a replay to get over Antrim in 1974

(2-10 to 2-8). In 1983, Mayo overcame Derry in a

replay by 1-8 to 1-5, and in 2006 Mayo pipped

Cork by 1-13 to 1-11.

TWITTER WATCH

EDWIN McGREALJust about getting the breath back. That was

some game, some win. These boys don’t know

when they’re beaten #mayogaa

AIDAN O’SHEADelighted for the 21s massive win. Dug it out!!

#Nerve #Composure repeat of 10 years ago in

the fi nal.

@AIDOXI

ENDA GILVARRY Well done to @MayoGAA under 21s today.

Unbelievable desire, commitment and true

character. One more run lads. #tiu #onemorerun

#maigheoabu

@egilvarry

PAUDIE PALMERBack in the West after witnessing an outstanding

display of Gaelic football by a highly talented @

Offi cialCorkGAA U21 team,roll on the fi nal

@PaudieP

BRIAN HURLEYCongrats @Offi cialCorkGAA 21s on a big win! @

michaelhurley9 no room for that little MOTM

award in my cabinet

@BrianHurley15

Tell us something about yourself we

don’t know?

That I haven’t the worst

dress sense on the

panel. Just check out

Matty Flanagan’s

Instagram page

of the last pair of

runners he

bought!!

A night in, or

a big night

out?

A big night out

with the lads

during the

offseason for

sure!

What’s your favour-

ite TV show?

I’m a big Game of Thrones fan.

Which three guests would you invite to

your dinner party?

Conor McGregor, Tim Riggins

(Friday Night Lights) and

Harvey Spectre (Suits).

Who’s your ideal

date?

Emily Ratajkowski.

What makes

you nervous?

When I hear

Matty Flanagan

shouting my

name!!

What’s been your worst holiday?

Haven’t had a bad one, but my best was

certainly my few weeks in America last

summer.

Any football superstitions?

I try to wear the same shorts and socks in

every championship game throughout the

season.

Best dressing-room prank you’ve seen?

Some of the antics Fionán Duffy gets up to

wouldn’t be safe to mention.

What do you miss most about being a

kid?

Not having my mother do everything for me.

What’s your most prized possession?

I’d have to say my phone, I’d be lost without it.

QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS

Name: Eoin O’DonoghueClub: Belmullet Age: 19

Occupation: Student/ Part-time baker DATE Emily Ratajkowski

FROM THE ARCHIVES Mayo captain Eddie Gibbons (left) and Ger Geraghty lift the Clarke Cup after the 1983 All-Ireland U-21 Football Final. Mayo beat Derry in Irvinestown after a replay by 1-8 to 1-5.

1967 (REPLAY)MAYO 4-9KERRY 1-7MAYOE Rooney; J Earley, C Loftus, N McDonnell; J

Ryan, T Cafferkey, M Flatley; T Keane, W Loftus

(captain, 0-1); S O’Dowd (0-4), J Gibbons(0-2), T

Fitzgerald (0-1); W McGee (4-0), J Smyth (0-1), D

Griffi th.

1974 (REPLAY)

MAYO 2-10ANTRIM 2-8MAYOI Heffernan; A Durkan, S Reilly, J O’Mahony; G

Feeney, C Moynihan, J Culkin (captain); R Bell

(0-1), G Farragher; T Webb (1-0), J.P. Kean (0-8

6fs); M Flannery (0-1), M Maloney, D McGrath

(1-0), M Higgins.

1983 (REPLAY)

MAYO 1-8DERRY 1-5MAYOG Irwin; P Ford (0-1), J Maughan, E Gibbons; J

McNabb, M Feeney, J Finn; G Geraghty (0-1), S

Maher (1-0); P Brogan (0-3), J Lindsay, N Durcan

(0-1); B Kilkelly(0-1), T Grogan, P Duffy.

Sub used: M Kearns (0-1) for T Grogan.

2006MAYO 1-13CORK 1-11MAYO K O’Malley; T Howley, G Cafferkey, K Higgins; C

Barrett (0-1), T Cunniffe, C Boyle; S O’Shea, B

Moran; A Campbell, J Dillon, A Kilcoyne (1-6, four

frees and a sideline); M Ronaldson (0-1), M

Hannick, M Conroy (0-3).

Subs used: S Ryder for Boyle; K Costello (0-1) for

Dillon; E Varley (0-1) for Hannick.

The Drive For Five - Mayo’s previous All-Ireland wins

OverviewEDWIN MCGREAL

THERE is still something special about Ennis ten years ago.

May 7, 2006 in Cusack Park and Mayo leave as All-Ireland Under 21 champions after a

stirring win over Cork. For many young Mayo supporters it

was the fi rst time they had witnessed a county team winning an All-Ireland. It had been 21 years (the year of cap-tain Keith Higgins was born) when Mayo last won a minor, under 21 or senior All-Ireland.

Mayo’s record in the three main grades was pitiful. They had lost four fi nals in each grade but that did not hold back Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly’s men that day, and the scenes which greeted Joe McQuillan’s fi nal whistle were ecstatic.

It did not bring an automatic end to Mayo’s woes in All-Ireland Finals but it imbued a certain confi dence in the protagonists.

A remarkable thirteen of the starting team, and one sub, would go on to play senior championship for Mayo, many of them forming the foundation of the current fi ve-in-a-row Connacht cham-pionship squad.

There’s a great synergy about the fact that, in Mayo’s fi rst All-Ireland Under 21 fi nal appearance since 2006, it’s back to Ennis we go.

Ten years on, to face Cork once more. But this year’s Under 21 team won’t just be trying to follow in the footsteps of the ‘06 team.

They will be aiming to follow in their own footsteps. They are history mak-ers themselves already, after many of them won All-Ireland Minor medals three years ago.

That victory was not celebrated as

well or as loudly as it should have been. The minors had the misfortune to win their All-Ireland on the same day that the seniors lost to Dublin. They were seen as the silver lining in the cloud – there was no such ambiguity in Ennis ten years ago.

The short time between the minor success and the senior fi nal starting at Croke Park three years ago was some-thing very special. It was pregnant with hope and Mayo fans were on cloud nine.

But, alas, it didn’t last and that Minor team deserved to be much more than a footnote to that day.

They’ve shown this year, if we needed reminding, how special a group they are. The against-the-odds comebacks against Roscommon and Dublin were great for the soul, if not so good for the heart.

It would be wrong to suggest that this is the very same team as 2013. Of those who started in that September triumph over Tyrone, only nine played a part in last week’s semi-fi nal victory over Dublin.

Indeed players who were not part of that panel — such as Shairoze Akram, Fergal Boland and Brian Reape — have become important players this time around.

However, the foundation of this team undoubtedly comes from the class of 2013 and the champion spirit they have exhibited this year underlines their pedigree.

Right now it would take some amount of hyperbole to over-egg Diarmuid O’Connor’s potential. Two years ago we were told he would be better than Cillian O’Connor. His elder brother had just won Young Footballer of the Year two years in a row.

We laughed off such nonsense. We’re not so sure now.

David Kenny, Michael Hall, Stephen Coen and Conor Loftus all join him in the Mayo senior set-up presently. They

all showed why at various stages in Tullamore.

Whether any more of their colleagues join them or not this year remains at

the discretion of Stephen Rochford.But before people get too excited,

recall that the way Diarmuid O’Connor bestrode that game in Tullamore is not just emblematic of his own class, but also underlines the difference between senior and under 21.

He was the only senior regular play-ing for either side that day.

Keith Higgins was the only player from the Under 21 class of 2006 to start the All-Ireland Senior Final later that year.

We’ve seen since how many of that class progressed and the same will ring true with the group of 2016. It just will not come immediately in many cases and, while panel places might be up for grabs, expecting a raft of guys to burst into starting contention is unre-alistic.

As we saw in 2006, the long-term benefi ts can be as vital as the glory of success. Mayo would be very happy with the latter and allow for the former to come in its own good time.

Mayo’s class of 2016make their own way

The 2013 minor win was not celebrated as loudly as it should have been

“vviiew

RREAL

UP WHERE WE BELONG Mayo captain Stephen Coen lifts the Tom Markham Cup after the 2013 All-Ireland Minor Final at Croke Park. Pic: Sportsfi le

FIXTUREMAYO V CORK

SATURDAY APRIL 30, ENNIS AT 6PM

THE MAYO NEWS • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW4 ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW 5TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 • THE MAYO NEWS

up when games are in the melting-pot and making key contributions.

The last Mayo under-21 team to win Connacht, back in 2009, included the likes of Aidan O’Shea, Lee Keegan and Kevin McLoughlin. Similarly, some of the under-21 leaders of today may become the senior leaders of tomor-row. But four or fi ve years from now, we may look at this team and identify Diarmuid O’Connor as the only one who became a star

at senior level.The others may or may not have

the quality required to make the step-up to be outstanding seniors. But there is evidence that they have something about them, a mental resolve. That was cer-tainly clear in their last two outings, and there were signs of it in the 2013 minor campaign too.

Liam Irwin was a key performer in that minor team, and he’s made a big contri-bution at under-21 level too, staying cool and calm and getting vital scores.

Many of this squad won an All-Ireland minor fi nal in 2013. Three years on, they’re 60 minutes from winning the under-21 title. Doing the double can only help Mayo’s chances of making the sen-ior breakthrough in the long run.

AT any of the underage grades, player development is key. Players have to learn how to win, and learn how to be in a position where you’re impor-

tant to your team-mates. It’s called leadership.We know what we have in Diarmuid

O’Connor. He’s already one of the best players at senior inter-county level. The leadership he’s shown in the last few rounds of the under-21 championship has been huge, and that augurs well for Saturday. He’s the best player left in the competition, and Mayo will be looking for another huge performance from him. But he can’t do it on his own.

The likes of Stephen Coen, Conor Lof-tus and Michael Hall are getting game-time with the seniors, so hopefully we’ll see big games from them next Saturday. It would be great if they could make the kind of strides next season that we’ve already seen from O’Connor.

James Carr is only out of minor, so his impact off the bench for the under-21s could really help his development. Maybe he can take the next step next season and be a leader on this team.

But the under-21 championship is also about instilling winning habits. As a team, it’s about being able to grind out wins. You want to see players take on leadership roles, putting their hands

Time for leaders to step up to the plate

Talking TacticsBILLY JOE PADDEN

TIME fl ies and all that but I still can’t believe it’s been fi fteen years since I was part of a Mayo under 21 squad that lost an All-Ireland Final to Tyrone. It was the ‘Foot and Mouth’ fi nal which

wasn’t played until October of 2001 and a day when we came off second best against the late Cormac McAnallen and company.

Since then, Mayo have played in just two All-Ireland under 21 fi nals and, apart from the 2006 success, we’ve always found it hard to get across the line at this grade.

Like every All-Ireland fi nal, they’re hard won.

If I’m being brutally honest, I thought that the level of the second semi-fi nal between Cork and Monaghan was far superior to the fi rst (when Mayo pipped Dublin).

Cork corner forward Michael Hurley has elec-tric pace, and the quality of the shooting in that game was of a really high standard. So Mayo will go into next Saturday’s fi nal as under-dogs.

But as we know better than anybody, in a fi nal anything can happen.

Mayo are going in against Cork with a lot of good habits. They’re fi nishing games extremely strongly. There’s obviously great team spirit in the group. So maybe underdog status will suit them.

Mayo won the fi rst half against Dublin, let their level drop in the second half, and then clawed their way back into the game in diffi cult circumstances – against the wind, and dealing with an inconsistent referee. I think going into a fi nal knowing that they have to improve again (and playing against a more fancied team) is the perfect situation.

I was very happy with an awful lot of Mayo’s performance against Dublin. I was really happy with the way Mayo kept possession. Mentally, the resolve they displayed was top-class. Diarmuid O’Connor was brilliant. There was a lot to like.

But there are certainly areas where they can improve. Mayo’s shape was too open in the third quarter. They need to be much better at win-ning breaking ball around the fi eld, and they’ve

Underdogs tag might suit Mayo

got to examine their strategy on their kick-outs too.

In the second half, Dublin seemed to take off some smaller players and bring on bigger men. I think their increased physical strength had a part to play in Dublin getting back into the game. If Dessie Farrell had that game back again, he might have started with a bigger, stronger team.

I know and played against Michael Solan. I’m absolutely delighted to see a young man (younger than me!) like him enjoying success. He has a huge interest and a huge knowledge of Gaelic football, and is clearly an innovative thinker in how he sets up a team.

I’m happy that so many things worked out for him in the Dublin game.

But in a way, I’m also happy that other things arose which will have needed work over the last ten days. Watching the third quarter of the semi-fi nal, I was annoyed that on the Dublin kick-out, or when play was lost deep in the Dublin half, if the Dublin attack beat the initial press, there was a hole in the centre of our defence.

Mayo can’t afford a repeat of that next Saturday. To close that space up, they may have to decide they won’t press Cork as high up the fi eld as they did against Dublin, because it is a risk. If you press high and the opposition beat the press, they’re left to play in the spaces.

In a fi nal, anything can happen

cs

up when gamesand making key

The last MayoConnacht, baclikes of Aidan Kevin McLouof the underbecome therow. But fnow, we midentify the only

at senior lThe other

Stephen Coen, Conor Lof-ael Hall are getting game-seniors, so hopefully we’ll from them next Saturday. eat if they could make the s next season that we’vefrom O’Connor. s only out of minor, so he bench for the under-y help his development.

n take the next step next a leader on this team.

er-21 championship is also ng winning habits. As a ut being able to grind out nt to see players take on les, putting their hands TALENT James Carr

LEADING BY EXAMPLE Mayo’s Diarmuid O’Connor chases back to get a tackle in on Dublin’s Con O’Callaghan during the recent All-Ireland Under-21 FC semi-fi nal. Pic: Sportsfi le

The fi nal bake-off

TALKING POINTS

with Daniel Carey

TALKING POINTS

with Mike Finnerty

MEDICAL MATTERS

MAYO boss Michael Solan was

keen to highlight the role played by

his medical team in ensuring that

injuries have been kept to a

minimum so far in this campaign.

Physios Mark Gallagher and David

Walsh, along with S&C coach

Conor Finn, have been to the

forefront in this regard with support

from the likes of S&C expert Barry

Solan and Mayo GAA Head of

Medical, Dr Seán Moffatt.

Eoin O’Donoghue is looking forward to his third All-Ireland appearance

THERE are no shortage of house-hold names or headline-grabbers in this Mayo under 21 team, but the likes of Eoin O’Donoghue operate mainly under the

radar. The 19 year-old from Bridge Road in

Belmullet is still a relatively unknown quantity outside the dressing-rooms in Tallagh and MacHale Park, but his recent displays for the under 21s have started to make us sit up and take notice.

Cut from the same cloth as his club-mate Chris Barrett, O’Donoghue loves the rough and tumble of playing in the Mayo full-back line.

He’s aggressive and attacks the ball, is tight-marking and tenacious.

Against Roscommon and Dublin he showed those qualities in abundance, get-ting up close and personal with Diarmuid Murtagh and Con O’Callaghan respectively whenever the ball came their way.

Shrewd observers think O’Donoghue might have what it takes to play senior for Mayo down the line. He smiles when you ask the question, and enquire where he’d like to play.

“Corner-back, I think. If I was ever lucky enough to play senior for Mayo, I’d like to play there.

“I like getting stuck in, denying another man his happiness and an easy day at the offi ce. That’s the best part of being a cor-ner-back.”

A second year commerce student at NUI, Galway, Eoin is the middle child of David and Breege O’Donoghue’s seven kids.

InterviewMIKE FINNERTYmikefi nnerty@mayonews.ieSPORTS EDITOR

we

His father, aunt and cousin run the well-known ‘O’Donoghue’s Bakery’ in Belmullet, supplying their ‘An Builín Blasta’ bread and confectionery to the Erris region, as well as shops in Achill, Crossmolina, and Castlebar.

The student also works there at week-ends and during his holidays, although his recent Saturdays have been taken up with football commitments.

“The Dublin game was end to end,” he recalled. “From a defender’s point of view you don’t really want to play in them because you’re under pressure the whole time. But that’s what forwards want — ball coming in 24/7.

“Our forwards would want more ball coming in too if they could get it,” he added. “And we just want to give it to them. You’d trust any of them to kick a score for you.”

And the one he hates to see coming into him at training?

“It’s hard to call but Liam Irwin is prob-ably the hardest guy to mark. Just for sheer size and strength. He’s a hard man to handle no matter what the condi-tions.”

Growing up, O’Donoghue was a big fan of Belmullet’s Billy Joe Padden and remembers being in awe of Keith Hig-gins when watching the All-Ireland Finals of 2004 and 2006 as a young school-boy.

“In the last few years the likes of Keith, Ger Cafferkey and Chrissy Barrett, my own clubman, have really impressed me. They do very little wrong,” he muses.

O’Donoghue played in Croke Park himself as a Mayo minor in the 2014 All-Ireland semi-fi nal defeat to Kerry.

“That was a great experience and a lot of those lads are involved in this team too,” he explained. “They’re a great

bunch of lads, we get on, keep in contact, and there’s a great bond between us.

“Nobody thinks they’re bigger than the squad, they’re all down to earth lads. It’s a very open set-up and all the under 21s would know all the Mayo senior lads.”

Next Saturday will be his third All-Ireland Final after winning one with Our Lady’s Secondary School, Belmullet and losing one with the Mayo juniors last year.

He intends to stick to his own routine in the days ahead.

“I just try and do my normal things, I don’t try and focus on anything in par-ticular. Just prepare right, sleep well, eat well, and make sure i’m full of energy.

“It’s something you dream of and look forward to, but it’s just Game Four. That’s how we started out, taking one game at a time, crossing off the dates.

“We’re exactly where we wanted to be. “Nothing is done until that ball is thrown-in and then we’ll really go at it, and see what we’re made of.”

DID YOU KNOW?

MAYO have scored six goals

en route to Saturday’s

decider against Cork, and

conceded just two goals.

Brian Reape and Diarmuid

O’Connor have scored two

goals each, with one apiece

coming from Fionán Duffy

and Liam Irwin.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK“These are very enjoyable days, days to be embraced, not to be fearful of.”

Mayo manager Michael Solan

on Saturday’s fi nal

KEY NUMBER

PLAYS that Diarmuid O’Connor

had during Mayo’s All-Ireland

semi-fi nal win over Dublin. This

was in approximately 66

minutes, with 20 of them

coming in the opening half.

35

I like denying another man his happiness

ON THE BURST Mayo’s Eoin O’Donoghue is pictured in action against Galway during last year’s Connacht Junior Football Championship fi nal. Pic: Ray Ryan

THE MAYO NEWS • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW6 ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW 7TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 • THE MAYO NEWS

FeatureMIKE FINNERTY

KENNETH O’MALLEYBALLINROBETHE talented goalkeeper only conceded one goal

in the All-Ireland Final against Cork, and went on

to play senior league and championship for Mayo.

He also came back after suffering a serious

kidney injury in a Higher Education League match

with the University of Limerick in 2008.

Kenneth now works as a teacher in the UAE.

TREVOR HOWLEYKNOCKMORETHE teak-tough defender was a rock in the Mayo

defence.

He went on to make his senior championship

debut for Mayo in 2009 against New York at

centre-half back.

Howley played his last game for Mayo as a

sweeper against London in the 2011 Connacht

championship.

He emigrated to Australia the following Novem-

ber and is now based in Darwin.

GER CAFFERKEYBALLINA STEPHENITESHAVING played minor football for Mayo in 2005,

Caff’ was promoted straight into the under 21

team just a few months later.

He was a revelation, showing all the attributes

that made him an All Star in 2012.

Cafferkey lives and works in Galway as a Civil

Engineer.

KEITH HIGGINSBALLYHAUNISTHE team captain, Higgins brought pace and

panache to the Mayo defence and mixed

man-marking with lightning-quick counter-

attacks.

A three-time All Star winner since then at senior

level, Higgins has become one of Mayo’s all-time

great footballers.

He lives in Ballyhaunis and works in Bank of

Ireland in Castlebar.

CHRIS BARRETTBELMULLETANOTHER of the 2005 minors that made the

step-up to the under 21 ranks, Barrett had an

excellent season at wing-back.

Although he has had more than his fair share of

injury problems since, the versatile defender has

been an ever-present member of the senior

squad since his championship debut in 2010.

A qualifi ed Civil Engineer, he lives and works in

Dublin.

TOM CUNNIFFECASTLEBAR MITCHELSJUST eight months earlier, ‘Turbo’ played in

Mayo’s All-Ireland Minor fi nal defeat to Down at

Croke Park.

His explosive pace and athleticism was a big part

of the under 21s’ game-plan, and he went on to

make his senior championship debut against

Cavan in 2007.

A regular in the Mayo defence since, the Castle-

bar native recently announced that he intends to

go travelling.

COLM BOYLE DAVITTSCUT from the same cloth as Mayo’s joint

manager, Noel Connelly, Boyle was (and still is) a

tigerish, inspirational and dynamic half-back.

He went on make his senior championship debut

in 2008, and has won two All Star awards since.

A Garda based in Clifden, Boyle lives in Claremor-

ris.

Where are they now?

Ten years on, we check in on Mayo’s All-Ireland winning under 21 class of 2006

SEAMUS O’SHEABREAFFYTHOUGH injury curtailed his involvement for the

Mayo minors in 2005, O’Shea had the physique

and self-belief to hit the ground running at under

21.

He made his senior championship debut against

Sligo in 2010 and became a regular starter under

James Horan.

O’Shea lives in Dublin where he works as an

assistant underwriter with IronShore.

BARRY MORANCASTLEBAR MITCHELSONE of many Mayo players that delivered a huge

second half that day in Ennis, Big Barry’s

partnership with O’Shea gave the team serious

ball-winning capabilities.

Moran had already made his senior champion-

ship debut for Mayo the previous August, and

remains a key panel member.

He lives in Castlebar and works as an accountant

with Allergan Pharmaceuticals in Westport.

AIDAN CAMPBELLMAYOALTHOUGH he didn’t score in the fi nal, Camp-

bell’s free-taking, and ability to beat a man and

pick out a pass was invaluable all through the

campaign.

He made his senior championship debut the

following summer under John O’Mahony and

played his last game for Mayo in London fi ve

years ago.

He has recently moved to the English capital to

work.

JOE DILLONBALLAGHADERREENTHE team’s centre-half forward was the perfect

foil to the freestyling duo of Campbell and

Kilcoyne either side of him.

Dillon worked hard, won breaks, and linked the

play effectively. He was the quintessential ‘team

player’.

His career was hampered by injuries, but he won

Mayo SFC medals with Ballagh’ in 2008 and

2012.

He is a national school teacher in Tooreen.

AIDAN KILCOYNEKNOCKMORETHE star of Mayo’s sensational second half,

‘Killer’ hit 1-6 that day in Ennis, including a golden

goal, four frees, and an outrageous point from a

sideline ball.

Kilcoyne made his senior championship debut

the previous August and played for Mayo until the

end of the 2011 league.

A serious knee injury in October, 2013 looked to

have ended his career, but he has returned to

action with Knockmore in recent months, lining

out in goal.

He lives in Dublin where he works as Media and

Advertising Manager with Ryanair.

MARK RONALDSON SHRULE/GLENCORRIBTHE crafty corner-forward scored two precious

goals during Mayo’s campaign, one against

Roscommon and the other in the All-Ireland

semi-fi nal marathon against Tyrone.

Against Cork, ‘Ronnie’ ran all day and clipped a

crucial point.

He made his Mayo senior championship debut in

2008, and is currently a member of Stephen

Rochford’s squad.

He lives in Shrule and works as a teacher in

Ballinasloe.

MARCUS HANNICKKILLALATHE under-rated full-forward contributed fi ve

points during Mayo’s fi ve-game run to the

All-Ireland crown, and was an important part of

the team’s strong, solid spine.

He went on to win a Mayo junior club football

championship medal later in 2006 with Killala.

Hannick now lives in New York where he works

as a civil engineer.

MICHAEL CONROY DAVITTSTHIS was one of Mickey C’s fi nest hours as he

terrorised the Cork defence and hit three brilliant

points from play.

All during that campaign, Conroy was playing out

of his skin, showing just why John Maughan had

brought him into the senior panel in the summer

of 2004.

He has been a regular in the county senior panel

since 2012 although injuries have stalled his

progress in the last twelve months.

He lives in Claremorris and is employed as a care

worker.

SUBS USED:

SEAN RYDER CASTLEBAR MITCHELSA POWERFUL half-back, Ryder came off the

bench in Ennis to help get Mayo home in front.

He now lives in Birmingham where he works as

an electrician.

KEVIN COSTELLO CARRAMORETHE current Hollymount/Carramore captain

works on the family farm and was one of the main

reasons his club won both the Mayo and

Connacht Intermediate championship titles last

season.

Costello came on in all fi ve of Mayo’s games

during their run to the title, and hit a vital late point

against Cork.

ENDA VARLEYGARRYMORETHE former Mayo senior forward recently

transferred to the St Vincent’s club in Dublin. He

lives and works in the capital as a secondary

school teacher.

He came on to replace Marcus Hannick that day

against Cork and scored a crucial late point.

OTHER SQUAD MEMBERSJohn Healy (Hollymount), Henry McLoughlin

(Crossmolina), Alan Joyce, Alan Feeney, John

Conlon, Richie Byrne (all Castlebar Mitchels),

David Prendergast (Tourmakeady), Simon

McGuinness (Aghamore), Trevor Lydon (Clonbur),

Seán McManamon (Burrishoole) and Michael

Divilly (Charlestown).

MANAGEMENT: Noel Connelly, Pat Holmes, Micheál Collins.

InterviewMIKE FINNERTY

HE lives in Australian’s Northern Territory now but his All-Ire-land under 21 medal is framed and hangs

on the wall of the Howley fam-ily home in Belass, Foxford.

A sense of adventure and wanderlust brought Trevor Howley and his girlfriend, Marina Lacken, to Australia four and a half years ago. Work has kept them there since.

Back here he was known as the Knockmore and Mayo foot-baller, down there he’s the elec-trician, the right-winger on the

From up here to Down Under

local Darwin soccer team, and the aspiring golfer.

How times have changed for a Gaelic footballer that played the game with such passion and ferocity that he picked up the nickname ‘The Hitman’ along the way.

An hour last week spent in conversation with Trevor How-ley was both insightful and refreshing, and it proved one thing: you can take the man from Mayo, but nothing will ever take Mayo from the man.

Now an Australian citizen, Howley intends to return home to Ireland sooner rather than later, once the right job catches his eye. He misses his family, and would love to fi nish out his playing career with Knockmore ‘before the body goes’. He spoke

to The Mayo News about life and work in Australia, how his Mayo career fi nished up, and the magic memories of that All-Ireland under 21 success.

GOING TO AUSTRALIAWE came out in November of 2011 and the plan was to do six months to a year of travelling around Australia and Asia. We were going to go back to reality then after that.

We travelled from November to January, landed in Perth, got jobs, and we’ll be in Australia fi ve years this November.

We think about going home every year to be honest. Both of us are working on the same project here, and we’ve got our residency and citizenship. We’re just waiting now for the cere-mony to get our Australian passports.

That was a big ticket issue for us really.

We’re working hard, six days a week, and we might get a week

away every three months or so to Asia to recharge the batter-ies.

There’s no doubt that waking up every morning and seeing the sun shining is good for the body and the mind.

PLAYING FOOTBALL OUT THEREI GOT involved with a GAA club in Perth in 2012 and 2013, I was actually recruited by Fin-tan Ruddy. It was very com-petitive, a very good standard, and Perth was going through a huge infl ux of Irish backpack-ers and workers at the time. There were fi ve or six clubs, a big gang of Mayo lads involved, so it was great.

Here in Darwin there’s only one club, the Darwin Sham-rocks, so no competitive games. Because of that I started play-ing soccer and have been at that for the last three seasons.

It’s a decent standard, you get to meet people and make friends,

and I enjoy it. I’m playing on the right wing.

When we end up moving home, it’ll be hard to choose between Gaelic and the soc-cer!

HIS LAST GAME FOR MAYOTHE Connacht championship game against London in 2011 didn’t go to plan with me play-ing as a sweeper.

I didn’t play again for Mayo that summer because of injuries and a lack of form as it turned out. Nobody would like to fi n-ish up their career that way, but I’ve made my peace with it now and moved on.

The way the game had devel-oped, and the professionalism and commitment that was required in terms of training, recovery, rest, diet, getting to the gym and so on, I just wasn’t able to tick all of those boxes the way they needed to be.

For the guys who were able to do it, and are reaping the rewards since, I have nothing but admiration for them. They deserve everything they get.

HIS U-21 ALL-IRELANDI CAN’T believe that it’s been ten years. It’s a long time.

It probably is a little bit more signifi cant and special for me now because of where I’m liv-ing. But there’s such a strong bond between all of the players who played in 2006. We’re joined by what happened that year.

THE EARLY DAYS OF 2006I REMEMBER a challenge game early that year in Castlebar when a row broke out, and Henry McLoughlin ended up on his own with one of their lads.

After the match we were told in no uncertain terms, that wasn’t to happen again. If anything hap-pened to any one guy, then we were all to back them up. We were in this together. That was a moment that sticks out in my mind.

Another one was our first championship match against Leitrim, when Michael Conroy got a belt in the nose. He had to be taken off and we were in a real battle at half-time.

Mickey made an incredible speech that day. I think he may have even shed a tear. He basi-cally told us that there was no way we were going to lose. And we didn’t.

We bonded and got harder as a group with every game we played.

THE ALL-IRELAND FINAL EXPERIENCEAS games go, I wasn’t overly happy with my own perform-ance. There’s a lot of space in Ennis and I remember wanting so badly to win the fi rst ball. But I was a bit hasty and John Hayes, my man, managed to beat me to it and get away from me. Luckily I got back to put in a tackle and he hit the crossbar but I was too eager at times that day.

Later on in my career I would

have prepared for those sce-narios and been less hasty.

It’s an All-Ireland Final but you still have to pick the ball prop-erly, protect it, use it well, and do the simple things properly. You have to break it down to the simple tasks.

NOEL CONNELLY AND PAT HOLMESTHEY worked well together.

Connelly got behind every player individually and revved them up. That sort of passion rippled through the team.

At that stage of our lives, there were moments when Connelly was great to get the blood boil-ing before a game.

You knew when he spoke that he was the Real McCoy. He had words and triggers that he used to get us going.

Pat was the organiser and made sure we were set up properly as a team. Like when Cork went down to fourteen men in the fi nal, our sweeper worked very well tactically for us, and all the subs that came on contributed.

It was a real collective effort.I had huge admiration and

respect for both of them.

MAGIC MEMORIESTHERE isn’t one specifi c moment but things like the fi nal whistle, lifting the trophy, looking out at the sea of green and red on the pitch when we were in the stand, stopping off in Ballindine... Even hearing the updates on Mid West about the homecoming and where we were going next!

To see what the win meant to Mayo people was very, very spe-cial. The joy on their faces is something I’ll never forget.

My own family too, they’re the ones that are with you through the good times and the bad times, and it meant an awful lot to them.

When we went into the dress-ing-room to celebrate, I remem-ber certain guys thinking of the signifi cance of what we’d done. They had match programmes and were getting everybody to sign them, and jerseys too.

Now here we are ten years later.

ADVICE FOR THIS MAYO TEAMI’D say, enjoy the occasion, mis-takes will happen, you can only control what you can control. Don’t be too anxious, just take it on and enjoy it. This is a great group of lads and a great group of footballers. Just go out and perform.

Trevor Howley won an under 21 medal in 2006

FACTFILEName: Trevor Howley

Age: 30

Lives: Darwin, Australia

From: Foxford

Club: Knockmore

Occupation: Electrician/

maintenance manager

Did you know? Trevor

played at right corner-

back on the Mayo under

21 team that won the

All-Ireland in 2006.

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I’ll never forget the joy on people’s faces“

SUNSHINE FOOTBALLER Trevor Howley is pictured soaking up the rays in Australia.

BABY-FACED ASSASSINS Mayo’s Mark Ronaldson and Mickey Conroy savour the moment after the 2006 All-Ireland U-21 FC Final. Pic: Ray Ryan

THE MAYO NEWS • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW8 ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW 9TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 • THE MAYO NEWS

Cork forwards hold the keyThe Cork ViewDENIS HURLEY

SINCE Cork won the 2009 All-Ireland under 21 football title, the county has claimed fi ve of the subsequent seven Munster championships in the grade.

In that context, that next weekend in Ennis will represent only a second fi nal in that time (they lost the 2013 decider to Galway) has to be seen as something of a failure. All-Ireland semi-fi nals had proven to be a near-perennial tripping point.

The current team have overcame that, and they will take heart from the fact All-Ireland under 21 wins for the county tend to lay the groundwork for future success.

The 2010 Sam Maguire win was back-boned by the graduates of the success-ful 2007 and ’09 sides. That fi rst victory included future seniors like Fintan Goold, Eoin Cadogan, Daniel Goulding, Ken O’Halloran, Michael Shields, Ray Carey, Andrew O’Sullivan, Colm O’Neill, Paul Kerrigan and Fiachra Lych, all of whom would play senior championship – seven of them getting game-time in the 2010 All-Ireland fi nal win.

Two years later, while the follow-on to senior wasn’t as great, Colm and Kevin O’Driscoll, Barry O’Driscoll, Ciarán Sheehan, Aidan Walsh, Mark Collins, O’Neill again and Noel Galvin would feature, with Walsh and Shee-han making big impacts as greenhorns in 2010.

It’s a reliable benchmark, going back more than 40 years.

The 1970 and ’71 victories paved the way for the ’73 All-Irelands and six in the 80s provided a rich breeding ground for Billy Morgan’s fi rst successful sen-ior side, which saw Sam Maguire claimed in 1989 and ’90.

The one outlier is the 1994 under 21 All-Ireland, but even the graduates of that side were unlucky, as they back-boned Larry Tompkins’ squad which lost to Meath in the 1999 All-Ireland.

The current side doesn’t have that much senior representation as yet –

Peter Kelleher was the only player to feature regularly during the league, and captain Stephen Cronin has champion-ship experience – but they have moulded themselves into a durable outfi t, capable of winning different kinds of games.

Opening with a trip to Cooraclare to face Clare, the Rebels came through relatively untroubled with a 0-23 to 0-8, ruthlessly quelling early signs of a Ban-ner challenge.

A week later in Fraher Field, it was a lot easier, as a 3-18 to 0-2 scoreline evi-dences.

It meant a straightforward passage to the Munster fi nal, but the corollary of that is that there were fears that they hadn’t been tested against a Kerry side

who had scraped past Tipperary and Limerick.

April 7 in Austin Stack Park, Tralee provided a pulsating encounter, and con-cerns that Cork couldn’t win tight games were emphatically quashed.

Sub Cian Dorgan – not named in the initial 26 but drafted in after injuries – was the hero with a late winner when it appeared that extra time had loomed.

Cork led by six points at one stage in the fi rst half, but Kerry had a great response and hit the front as Mark O’Connor’s goal put them 1-9 to 2-5 in front early in the second half.

Cork had had goals from Brian Coakley and Seán Powter in the fi rst half and ultimately the green fl ags proved the

difference, with man of the match Seán White netting on the three-quarter mark. Kerry responded but Cork had the edge required.

The semi-fi nal against Monaghan was another shootout, but early goals from Kelleher and Ryan Harkin provided another cushion which the Ulster cham-pions couldn’t really pierce. Seán O’Donoghue, Powter and Michael Hur-ley – brother of senior star Brian – all contributed important points too and quelling that attacking fi repower will be key for Mayo. Most of the play goes through full-forward Kelleher and if he is stopped then Cork can be – but, as many counties found during the national league, it’s no easy task.

Can Mayo’s unsung heroes hit high notes?SHAROIZE AKRAMBALLAGHADERREEN

THE more we see of Akram in action the more excited we become about the prospect of seeing him in action for the Mayo seniors some day.

A native of Haroonabad in Pakistan, the Ballagh’ half-back has a serious engine, and with the ball in his hands he knows only one way — forward.

Akram was part of the Mayo minor team in 2014 that reached an All-Ireland semi-fi nal and

he has been improving with every game in this champion-ship.

A First Year Sports Science student at Dublin City Univer-sity, he looks to be the real deal. His no-nonsense style will be needed against Cork too.

MATTHEW RUANEBREAFFYBETWEEN his game-changing impact off the bench against Leitrim, his immense second half shift against Roscommon,

and his tour de force in the last quarter against Dublin, Ruane has come good for Mayo every day out so far.

But the tal-ented Breaffy m i d f i e l d e r needs to fi re for the full sixty min-utes next Saturday if he is to fi nish an impressive campaign with another All-Ireland medal.

Operating in the same sector as the

dynamic duo of D i a r m u i d O’Connor and Stephen Coen means that Ruane’s efforts haven’t been

garnering as much attention

as they probably should have.

H owe ve r, h i s storming run and equalising point in

the semi-fi nal underlined just what he’s capable of when the mood takes him.

FERGAL BOLANDAGHAMORE

THE story goes that shortly after their appointment last year, Mayo’s under 21 management asked some of their established players if they could think of any footballers around the county who might be worth inviting in for a trial.

Footballers who hadn’t fea-

tured at minor level over the last few years, but could have something to offer. It seems that Boland’s name popped up on quite a few occasions.

Fast forward less than six months and the talented dual player has become a key man in Mayo’s game-plan.

A brave ball-winner, a smart link-man, and a very capable and confi dent forward. Boland has been excellent so far.

Mike Finnerty

EXPERIENCED Cork under-21 football manager Seán Hayes is pictured during his team’s All-Ireland semi-fi nal win over Monaghan. Pic: Sportsfi le

BIG Matthew Ruane

When we were youngMemories of Mayo’s previous under 21 wins remain precious

IT’S a small world all the same where everything makes itself relative.

While essaying this article up popped on another

screen a message from Kenneth O’Malley. Kenneth lives in Dubai or somewhere beyond the Emir-ates now in a part of the world where the sun is always high in the sky. A place far beyond a Ballinrobe skyline where our night times are the middle of their days.

We never know where the timepiece is set when convers-ing across the great big cyber space that is our only commu-nication link with Kenneth O’Malley now. But there will always be a tangible connection deep within the footballing soul. He is ever a sound man with a plethora of other fi ne skill-sets packed in the suitcase he jour-neys through life with.

When he lived around these parts he spent a great chunk of his busy life manning the Mayo goal. He was the last man stand-ing in front of us and danger on days we stood on the terrace behind him. We fi rst saw Ken-neth in the gap during the early spring of 2006.

When Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes were charged with man-aging the 2006 under-21 crop it was Kenneth they unearthed when searching for a net minder. A surprise choice to some per-haps, but Connelly and Holmes knew what they were about. After only a few appearances he quickly established himself as a capable and reliable custo-dian.

We’ll recycle that oft-abused and over-used phrase to say ‘he ticked all the boxes’.

As did a neighbour’s child from up the Dalgan Road in Shrule who was another star performer in the under-21 van journeying through the 2006 season.

When it came to mixing foot-balling nous with raw courage, bravery and determination, Mark Ronaldson has all the ingredi-

ents in bountiful abundance.And it’s because of them and

their team-mates we’ll ever fondly remember a sunny May Sunday in 2006 when we saw Mayo win an All-Ireland Under-21 Final in Ennis.

They defi ed all odds and a few more besides to beat a fancied and star-studded Cork team. In a county where we crave All-Ireland success in any grade, what’s seldom is always won-derful. A fi ve year old girl accom-panied us to Ennis to register her fi rst football offi cial outing. What a way to start a crusade.

We watched the young Ron-aldson we saw kicking a ball around a Dalgan garden become a man before our eyes. He shipped every belt a Cork defence could lash upon him on his route to goal and bounced back for more. And when it looked like cruel fate might deny Mayo her hour of glory once more, it was O’Malley’s safe hands turning away a Cork goal-bound shot that saw us home.

And that’s how it is with fol-lowing the younger brigade. Could we ever forget a Septem-ber day in 1974 when Mayo beat Antrim in the All-Ireland Final after a replay in Croke Park?

It was the day John P. Kean of Mayo met John P. O’Kane of Antrim.

The team was built on the spine of Austin Garvin’s All-

Ireland minor victors of 1971. The year before Mayo lost the semi-fi nal to the Kerry team who became the dominant force at senior level.

But Mayo ruled supreme in 1974. Players like John O’Mahony, Ger Farragher, the late Richie Bell, Mick Maloney and Ted Webb, Ger Farragher, Michael Flannery, Des McGrath and the mighty ‘Tick’ Higgins became our heroes.

Other great days too. Whenever we meet Eddie Gib-

bons thoughts wander back to a Sunday long ago in Irvines-

town. Another All-Ireland under-21 replay against Derry.

The genial Eddie was Mayo captain. He was sent off late in the game so when it came to the presentation, GAA President, Paddy Buggy, wouldn’t present the cup to Eddie so as the pro-tocol of not presenting the tro-phy to a dismissed player would be observed.

Beneath the podium a mini revolt ensued. The fi rst howls of protest were hollered loud by the legendary and renowned, Cowboy Jack Holian from Cross.

The roars were chorused loud by the Mayo supporters. Vice-captain Ger Geraghty of Ballin-tubber accepted the silverware to dispense with the offi cial tag-ging, but immediately shared the hoisting of the cup into a Fermanagh sky with Eddie Gib-bons.

Ger Geraghty later emigrated to Chicago and there’s a multi-tude among the many that are long since convinced Mayo would have lifted Sam Maguire in 1989 if he was domiciled in Ireland. And on every sighting or mention of Eddie Gibbons it’s memories of the All-Ireland victory of 1983 that unlocks the mind bank.

He’s another who has etched his name into Mayo under-21 footballing lore.

And south we go again next

Saturday night and, if truth be told, it’s not where we expected to be heading when the journey began. But if ever a team deserved to be in a fi nal then surely this team does. Their wonderful All-Ireland minor win of 2013 over Tyrone never got the credit it deserved because their victory was overshadowed by the defeat of the seniors.

Kilmaine’s Darragh Doherty was a star of that minor side and had life spared him he’d surely be in the starting line-up on Saturday. But perhaps part of his wish might be fulfi lled.

At the lovely eulogy he deliv-ered at Darragh’s funeral mass, Mayo minor selector of 2013, Eoin Sweeney, told of a meeting with Darragh and his desire to get the 2016 campaign up and running.

On Saturday night his team-mates carry the hopes and dreams of a county into another fi nal. They are within a step of crossing the threshold of glory. And as we traipse the road to Ennis we’ll think fondly of Ken-neth O’Malley in a land faraway. Of Mark Ronaldson and all the braves who wouldn’t be denied.

And we’ll remember Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes too. It would be totally remiss of us to ever forget that great day of many the duo gave Mayo sup-porters.

FeatureWILLIE McHUGHwilliemchugh@mayonews.ie

Hws.ie

What’s seldom is always wonderful

SHARING IN THE MOMENT Mayo under 21 joint managers Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes celebrate after the fi nal whistle in the 2006 All-Ireland Final win over Cork. Pic: Ray Ryan

THE MAYO NEWS • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW10 ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW 11TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 • THE MAYO NEWS

1916: when Mayo beat Cork twice!FeaturePAULINE MURPHY

THIS year marks the centenary of the Easter Rising, but it is also 100 years since a pivotal moment in the history of Mayo football. And it involved two meetings

with Cork, who’ll provide the opposition in next Saturday’s All-Ireland under-21 decider.

The 29th All-Ireland senior football fi nal took place on December 17, 1916 between Mayo and Wexford. It marked the fi rst time the westerners reached the fi nal.

Mayo’s journey to Croke Park began with a Connacht semi-fi nal victory against Galway in September 1916. Mayo over-came the Tribesmen by 2-6 to 2-2 and the next stop was the Connacht fi nal against Roscommon.

On October 1, in front of a crowd of 4,000 in Castlerea, Mayo convincingly beat the Rossies by 1-5 to 0-3 to claim the Connacht crown and set up an All-Ireland semi-fi nal date with Cork in Athlone on October 22. But it was a meeting that almost derailed Mayo’s journey to the All-Ireland fi nal.

The match between the Munster cham-pions and the Connacht conquerors ended with Mayo winning by 1-2 to 0-2. But Cork lodged an objection with Cen-tral Council on the grounds that Mayo had fi elded an ineligible player in the form of Ballina’s Bernie Durkan, who had played in Cork earlier in the year.

GAA rules stipulated that players could only line out for no more than one county per season and, as Mayo had fl aunted that rule, a replay was called.

The replay took place in Croke Park on November 19 and the weather was, to say the least, atrocious!

Dublin city fell under a deluge from the heavens and the pitch on Jones’s Road resembled a lake, yet it failed to deter players and offi cials who went ahead with the fi xture.

Unlike previous matches, where attend-ances reached into the thousands, only a few hundred braved the bad weather to watch Mayo take on Cork for a second

time and claim victory again.On a scoreline of 1-2 to 1-1, Mayo booked

their place in the All-Ireland fi nal for the fi rst time in the county’s sporting history. Some of the few hundred who witnessed the match later claimed that the wild conditions suited the men of the west, accustomed to such unruly weather!

The All-Ireland fi nal on December 17 was played on a harshly cold winter’s day.

Dublin was under a blanket of frost and even though straw had been spread across the pitch the night before the match, it still managed to freeze over.

A 2pm pitch inspection took place to determine if it was playable, but by then thousands of spectators had already started coming through the turnstiles, and offi cials decided it best to let them

see what they had travelled for.As martial law was still in place since

the Easter Rising earlier in the year, spe-cial match-day trains were banned, but that didn’t stop thousands from using any transport necessary to get to Croke Park.

Before the ball was thrown in, the Irish tricolour was raised above the stand, making it the fi rst time the national fl ag was fl own at GAA headquarters.

The game itself proved slow, no doubt due to the freezing conditions. Mayo clocked up two points in the fi rst half from Harry Hession and captain Frank Courell but Wexford struck back with four points, and by the second half they added three goals.

Mayo’s only response came in the dying moments of the game when Tom Boshell kicked the pigskin into the Wexford net,

but by then it was too late for the Con-nacht men.

Wexford took home the honours on a scoreline of 3-4 to 1-2. Mayo’s fi rst All-Ireland fi nal ended in misery but, 100 years on, perhaps their two victories over Cork augur well for next Satur-day.

MAYOPádraig Loftus (Ballina), Tom Gibson (Ballina), Jack Waldron (Ballyhaunis), John Eddie McEllin (Balla), George Delaney (Ballyhaunis), Pat Robinson (Lacken), Joe Lydon (Kiltimagh), Harry Hession (Ballina), Frank Courell (Ballina, captain), Martin Murray (Ballina), Tom Boshell (Ballina), Pat Kelly, James Reilly (Ballina), Anthony Lyons (Swinford), Paddy Smyth (Ballina).

Pauline Murphy is a freelance writer from

Cork who primarily writes on history and

politics. She tweets @RealPMurphy

3 Cork under 21 stars to watch out forSTEPHEN CRONINNEMO RANGERSTHE talented centre-half back made his senior championship debut for Cork last summer as a 19 year-old against Clare.

He was one of the few posi-tives to emerge from Cork’s disastrous championship adventure, but a serious leg break last August meant his season ended on a very disap-pointing note.

However, after six months on the sidelines, Cronin returned to action in time to

slot into a very impressive under 21 half-back line. He is also Cork’s captain.

PETER KELLEHERKILMICHAELTHE rangy full-forward fi rst came to national attention when he scored a goal against Dublin in the National League at Croke Park earlier this spring.

He actually made his senior league debut against Mayo at Pairc Ui Rinn, and certainly

caught the eye with his ball-winning ability and sheer physical size.

He scored a goal against Monaghan in the semi-fi nal and, along with big Brian Coak-ley, is going to be a handful in the air for Mayo.

MICHAEL HURLEYCASTLEHAVENTHE number fi fteen was named man of the match after Cork’s thrilling All-Ireland semi-fi nal win over Monaghan and, on

the evidence of his all-action display, will take watching next Saturday evening.

Hurley, a younger brother of Cork senior forward Brian, hit three points from play last time out but was also a constant threat with ball in hand.

He has scored 1-10 so far in the competition for Cork and, along with the very accurate duo of Seán O’Donoghue and Seán Powter, will hurt Mayo if given time or space.

Mike Finnerty

TARGETMAN Peter Kelleher

ONE HUNDRED YEARS ON Members of the Mayo team of 1916, pictured before the Connacht fi nal against Roscommon. Only the players are named. From left, back row: Bernie Durkan, James Reilly, Frank Courell (holding ball), Tom Boshell, Martin Franklin. Middle row: Harry Hession, Pat Loftus, Tom Ruane, Pat Robinson, Martin Murray. Front row: John Eddie McEllin, Joe Lydon, Tom Gibson, Paddy Smyth, Tommy Forde.

AS minors they freed Mayo from a football quagmire almost three decades old. Now, they are being asked

to come again to the county’s rescue, this time to bring to an end ten years of under-21 fail-ure.

If anyone can do it, they can. Not just because they stalled Dublin’s underage bandwagon, rolling on it seemed towards invincibility, but because of the character they showed in ditch-ing the Dubs.

Despite their dramatic win over Roscommon in the Con-nacht fi nal, we had to wait for the All-Ireland semi-fi nal to fully appreciate the traits that have distinguished the underage careers of this Mayo bunch.

Nine of their All-Ireland-win-ning minor side contributed to the drama of their contest with Dublin two weeks ago. We had given up hope for them halfway through the second half when an interval lead of six points had become a shortfall of four, and calamity seemed inevitable.

We should not have doubted their mettle, and we won’t dis-believe when they line out in Cusack Park, Ennis, on Saturday to assume an even greater task against Munster champions Cork in the fi nal.

They won’t have had time to enjoy the pleasure that a victory over Dublin, in particular, engen-ders because Cork looked even more imposing in their win over Monaghan. And Mayo have got to iron out the imperfections that the ecstasy of their semi-fi nal may have concealed.

Not that they would have underestimated Cork in any case. They don’t do compla-cency.

They don’t fool themselves into thinking that the next game is already won. They will have analysed that spell of inadequacy that allowed Dublin to command the exchanges for more than a quarter of an hour, when Mayo lost control in vital sectors, and the balance shifted.

That won’t have slipped Cork’s notice.

Beaten by Roscommon two years ago and in the provincial

fi nal last season, the Munster champs are determined to clinch this year’s title by concentrating on Mayo’s tender spots.

Their scoreline in the semi-fi nal bears a staggering statistic in that every one of their total of 2-15 came from play. Not one point from a free. From all angles they picked off points, most of them from the boots of Seán O’Donoghue, Seán Powter, Ryan Harkin and man of the match Michael Hurley.

Hurley at corner forward was imperious, and said afterwards that what he liked best was to get a bit of space and take on his man. Brian Coakley in the other corner had a huge advan-tage in height, and at centre forward, Powter’s searing pace opened up the Monaghan defence with ease leading to Cork’s fi rst goal.

O’CONNOR WILL BE A MARKED MANTHEIR defence has not been Mayo’s strongest sector, espe-cially their full-backs, who shipped some punishment from Roscommon and Dublin. They have not yet met a combined forward line that can kick so accurately at speed. Yet it is an indication of their unfl appabil-ity that against Roscommon when pressure was greatest, the full-back line of Eoin O’Donoghue, Seamus Cunniffe and David Kenny held their nerve.

In the semi-fi nal, much of the pressure was soaked up by the resilience of half-backs Michael Plunkett, Michael Hall and Shai-roze Akram, but against Cork they may need the assistance of a sweeper to hold steady against the combined force of the Rebel forwards.

It might help, too, if goalkeeper Mattie Flanagan entrusted his midfi elders to win kick-outs. Short deliveries give me the creeps especially when, what-ever benefi t comes from them, is cancelled by fast, vigilant forwards. Flanagan is a good keeper, but one wonders is Stephen Cluxton too much of an infl uence nowadays.

There is no ambiguity about the importance of the work of midfi elders Matthew Ruane and Stephen Coen. They dove-tail impressively and much of Mayo’s stability and attacking fl air hinges on their distribu-tion. Play seemed to have bypassed them for a while in the semi-fi nal. But the fl ash of brilliance with which Ruane engineered the levelling point lit up the whole team.

Diarmuid O’Connor will be a

marked man on Saturday. All opposition is now aware of his enormous capacity for work. Cork will employ every pos-sible artifi ce to rein him in.

In doing so, other Mayo strong points might be overlooked, and it’s up to O’Connor’s col-leagues to make hay while the sun shines, to avail of Cork’s concentration on the Ballintub-ber man to make their own presence felt, and to leave the opposition with something to think about.

O’Connor apart, there is a capacity in the Mayo forward line to be more penetrative than they have been.

Conor Loftus is creative, Fer-gal Boland tenacious, and in Liam Irwin, Brian Reape, Fionán Duffy, a physically strong front line. Subs James Carr and James Kelly have seriously increased

the productivity of the unit, and will be vital to Saturday’s outcome.

Ennis is restricted, not the most ideal of grounds for speedy wingers.

Could be though that for a change it might suit Mayo, in the greater cramping effect it may have on Cork’s speedy forwards, providing Mayo’s backs with a better chance of closing them down.

Cork is not like anything Mayo have met in the campaign so far.

But the same could be said about Roscommon and Dublin, and Mayo found a way around them. It will take all of their conviction, their belief, their inventiveness to grind out the county’s fi fth title on Saturday. But they are a can-do squad and I expect them to succeed.

SeánRiceColumnseanrice@mayonews.ie

Can-do U-21s to succeed

Mayo don’t do complacency“

STANDING HIS GROUND Mayo goalkeeper Matthew Flanagan tries to hold up Dublin’s Con O’Callaghan during the recent All-Ireland Under-21 FC semi-fi nal. Pic: Sportsfi le

THE MAYO NEWS • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016ALL IRELAND U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW12

FROM THE ARCHIVES

GROUND BREAKERS Pictured are the Mayo U-21 team which beat Kerry in the All-Ireland U-21 Final replay of 1967. Front, left to right: Tom Fitzgerald, Joe Earley, Des Griffi th, Willie Loftus, Eugene Rooney, Jimmy Ryan. Back: Paddy Grehan (supporter), Seamus O’Dowd, Jim Smyth, Noel McDonald, Tom Kean, Christy Loftus, Willie McGee, Tom Cafferkey, John Gibbons and Martin Flatley.

TEN YEARS ON The Mayo panel are pictured before the start of the 2006 All-Ireland U-21 FC Final. Back row, left to right: Simon McGuinness, Henry McLoughlin, Michael Divilly, David Prendergast, Aidan Kilcoyne, Joe Dillon, Ger Cafferkey, Kenneth O’Malley, Seamus O’Shea, Marcus Hannick, Tom Cunniffe, Aidan Campbell, John Healy, Alan Feeney, Rory Byrne, Alan Joyce. Front row: Seán Ryder, Seán McManamon, Chris Barrett, Barry Moran, Colm Boyle, Keith Higgins, Trevor Howley, Mark Ronaldson, Mickey Conroy, John Conlon, Enda Varley, Trevor Lydon and Kevin Costello. Pic: Sportsfi le

GREEN AND RED GIANTS The Mayo under 21 squad are pictured before the 1983 All-Ireland Final against Derry.

THREE OF MAYO’S FOUR ALL-IRELAND WINNING SQUADS