Connacht SFC quarter-final: London 1-15 Mayo 0-31
Eleven points from the boot of Ryan O’Donoghue and six from championship debutant Cian McHale accounted for more than half Mayo’s impressive haul, as they enjoyed a trouble-free opening to their 2026 championship campaign, cruising to victory in Saturday’s Connacht quarter-final against London.
There had been all of 17 points between the teams until the home side’s James Davis fired over a trio of two-pointers towards the very end of this one-sided clash at a thronged McGovern Park.
Andy Moran’s team featured another championship debutant in wing forward Hugh O’Loughlin, and the absence of Under-20 starlets Kobe McDonald and Darragh Beirne had been well signposted, but otherwise the visitors fielded strongly and thoroughly imposed themselves on their Division Four hosts in what were cool, windy and at times, damp conditions.
McHale had a two-pointer on the board after four minutes, another after 11 minutes, and by half-time Mayo had posted seven times from outside the arc to lead by 11 points at the turnaround, albeit they had played with the stiffest of west London breezes.
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Joe McGill and Shay Rafter, from frees, and Rafter and the impressive Kristian Healy from play, had swept over early points for London, and the home side had the first sniff of goal too when Micheál O’Reilly was foiled by a good Fenton Kelly block, but only two points during the second quarter, both of them McGill frees, told its own story about London’s struggles.
With Ryan O’Donoghue, from a free and from play, Paul Towey, Michael Plunkett and Jack Carney having all raised orange flags too, and goalkeeper Rob Hennelly driving over a 45, it meant that just 0-2 of the Green and Red’s 17 first-half points had come from inside the arc, in what was an impressive display of shooting by the Westerners.
A quick restart was needed by the Exiles if they were to have any chance of eating into their 11 points half-time deficit (0-17 to 0-6) and sure enough, O’Reilly this time got the better of corner back Kelly to bury a goal just a minute in. However, two point efforts by Rafter and midfielder Daniel Clarke, which might have further roused the home support, were narrowly off target, allowing Mayo to reset and build out their lead once more.
The visitors scored eight unanswered points against the breeze between the 49th and 65th minutes as Castlebar Mitchels duo Bob Tuohy and Paddy Durcan and substitutes Tommy Conroy and Jordan Flynn all got in on the act, while the excellent Ryan O’Donoghue raised six white flags in the second half alone, including when whipping over a 58th minute goal chance.
Joe McGill swung over arguably the most spectacular of all the game’s two pointers and those six points from three late kicks by centre forward James Davis lifted local spirits, but this was Mayo’s day – the demons of being taken to extra-time on their last visit to Ruislip well and truly banished.
The result sees Moran’s men into a provincial semi-final at home to the winners of the weekend’s other contest between New York and Roscommon.
London: Andy Walsh; Daire Rooney, Matt Moynihan, Sean O’Donoghue; Ciaran McKeon, Conor Goggin, Conor O’Donoghue; Liam Gallagher, Daniel Clarke; Josh Obahor, James Davis (0-3-0), Kristian Healy (0-0-1); Micheál O’Reilly (1-0-0), Shay Rafter (0-0-3, 1f), Joe McGill (0-1-3, 3f). Subs: Finbarr Crowley and Nathan Feeney (for Goggin and Clarke 49), Liam Murphy (for McKeon 57), Marc Friel (for Rooney 61), Ciaran Gaughan (for C O’Donoghue 66).
Mayo: Rob Hennelly (0-0-2, 1 ’45, 1f); Jack Coyne, Rory Brickenden, Fenton Kelly; Sam Callinan, Michael Plunkett (0-1-0), Paddy Durcan (0-0-2, 1 ’45, 1f); Bob Tuohy (0-0-1), David McBrien; Jack Carney (0-1-1), Ryan O’Donoghue (0-2-7, 1tpf, 4f), Hugh O’Loughlin; Cian McHale (0-2-2, 2f), Aidan O’Shea, Paul Towey (0-1-0). Subs: Tommy Conroy (0-0-1) and Jordan Flynn (0-0-1) (for Towey and O’Loughlin 47), Cillian O’Connor (for O’Shea 57), Stephen Coen (for Plunkett 61), Diarmuid O’Connor (for Carney 62).
Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon).
