Connacht SFC semi-final: Roscommon 2-25 (2-2-21) Mayo 1-18 (1-2-14)
As the Mayo players made a beeline for the sanctuary of the tunnel at the sound of the hooter, hundreds of Roscommon fans were already descending upon the MacHale Park pitch after watching their side produce a quite stunning second-half display.
For the previous 35 minutes, there had been no place to hide for Mayo in this Connacht SFC semi-final in front of 15,321 in Castlebar. Roscommon trailed by three points at the interval but won the second half 1-17 to 0-7 to run out 10-point winners.
It was a ruthless display of efficiency – with Roscommon’s first wide of the second half only arriving in the 65th minute. Diarmuid Murtagh was practically unmarkable throughout, finishing the day with 1-10 while all six of Roscommon’s starting forwards scored.
Central to the victory was Roscommon’s ability to hammer the Mayo kickout – with Mark Dowd’s side scoring 1-11 directly from turnovers after winning Rob Hennelly’s restarts. It was a primrose and blue whirlwind.
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“I’d say our percentage on kickouts were actually fine but every time we lost one they seemed to control the ball and get a score off it,” said Mayo manager Andy Moran.
“We just lost the ground battle, we lost the battle in the air, we lost the battle on the ground for the breaks and in this new game it’s the hungrier team that seems to be coming out on top.”
Mayo retained 60 per cent of their kickouts (18 from 30) while Roscommon retained 68 per cent (19 from 28), but it was the visitor’s ability to convert scores from turnovers that had Mayo all at sea in the second half.
Roscommon scored four points in the opening three minutes after the break to take the lead for the first time – and were never caught thereafter. Indeed, they had put six points on the board in the second half before Mayo even had a shot at the other end of the field.
“Our talk at half-time was about just controlling that second half and when the opportunities arose, we took them,” said Roscommon boss Mark Dowd.
“The couple of early scores in the second half probably gave us the confidence to push on for the rest of the half. We felt we had it in the tank, we knew our energy levels were good.”
There had been an entirely different feel to the contest in the first half. In a fairly error-strewn and low-tempo encounter, most of the bright moments were produced by Mayo.
Conor Loftus was probably the best player on the field in the opening period while Kobe McDonald marked his Connacht SFC debut with three first-half points, kicking off right and left. To the manor born.
Caelim Keogh had the job of marshalling McDonald while at the other end of the field Rory Brickenden started on Murtagh. Both defenders were eventually relieved of those duties.
Ryan O’Donoghue netted Mayo’s opening goal in the 27th minute, the Belmullet man producing a lovely dummy to wrong-foot Roscommon goalkeeper Conor Carroll, 1-8 to 1-3.
It was all going so well for Mayo at that stage. Five points ahead, their star debutant whirring and the Rossies evidently susceptible to leaking goals.
But there had been warning lights flashing even then. Murtagh had snatched a goal in the 11th minute after capitalising on a miscued Hennelly kickout. And that restart came about after Murtagh had smacked the butt of the post with a shot. Mayo could be got at.
Darragh Heneghan’s pace and Enda Smith’s powerful running had carved open the Mayo defence on occasions.
Still, Mayo had been the better team in the opening half and should have been further ahead than the 1-11 to 1-8 interval scoreline indicated.
“I thought we were doing okay [at half-time] but Roscommon come out and I think inside two minutes they were a point up,” said Moran. And the energy of the game had changed entirely. Roscommon were clearly in the ascendancy and Mayo looked rattled.
By the 45th minute, in a bid to stop taking on water, Mayo had made four personnel changes. But they made little difference. Eoin Ward and Senan Lambe were ravenous on the breaks for Roscommon while Colm Neary’s switch curtailed the impact of Loftus on proceedings.
The Mayo full-back line looked vulnerable on every occasion Roscommon soared forward, which was often. At the other end of the field, McDonald was Mayo’s only threat.
His 42nd minute point was arrowed over after he pulled off two magic dummies to leave a trail of Roscommon players littering the ground behind him.
“I just couldn’t not play him, he was the best player in the A v B game last week so we had to play him,” added Moran afterwards.
But the fact they were relying on a teenage debutant for leadership in attack during that second half has to be a worry for Mayo.
For Roscommon, the fact they put up 2-25 on Mayo in Castlebar without the suspended Daire Cregg (who was third top scorer in Division One) and several St Brigid’s players indicates the strength in depth available to Dowd.
Cregg will be available for the Connacht final against Galway at Dr Hyde Park next month while Ruaidhrí Fallon and Brian Stack should be closer to a return as they continue their recovery from injury.
Mayo go off to lick their wounds now and prepare for the All-Ireland series. In round one they will face one of the provincial finalists.
“You have to go back to training on Wednesday, you have to try to get better,” added Moran.
“You have to try to get some results and hopefully get to Croke Park by the end of the year.”
But the road to get there is far more treacherous for Mayo now than it was on Sunday morning.
Roscommon: Conor Carroll; Caelim Keogh, Eoin McCormack, Patrick Gavin; Ronan Daly, Eoin Ward, Senan Lambe; Keith Doyle (0-0-2), Conor Ryan; Dylan Ruane (0-0-3), Enda Smith (0-0-3), Colm Neary (0-0-1); Diarmuid Murtagh (1-2-6; 2f, 1tpf), Robert Heneghan (0-0-1), Darragh Heneghan (1-0-3). Subs: Paul Carey (0-0-1, 1f) for Keogh (49 mins), Conor Hand (0-0-1) for R Heneghan (52), Robbie Dolan for Lambe (58), Shane Cunnane for Ryan (60), Niall Higgins for D Heneghan (68).
Mayo: Rob Hennelly; Jack Coyne, Rory Brickenden, Enda Hession; Sam Callinan, Conor Loftus (0-0-2), Paddy Durcan (0-0-2); Bob Touhy (0-0-1), David McBrien; Jack Carney (0-0-1), Ryan O’Donoghue (1-1-2; 2f, 1tpf), Jordan Flynn (0-0-1); Cian McHale, Aidan O’Shea, Kobe McDonald (0-1-4; 1tpf). Subs: Tommy Conroy for McHale (ht), Donnacha McHugh for Brickenden (42), Fergal Boland for O’Shea, Matthew Ruane (0-0-1) for Tuohy (both 45); Cillian O’Connor for Loftus (55).
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath).
