Mayo advanced to the NFL Division One final by out-battling their Connacht rivals Galway for a 2-10 to 1-12 win at Croke Park this afternoon.
John O’Mahony watched the county he previously managed to All-Ireland glory, in 1998 and 2001, falter in the closing stages as Mayo hit five of the game’s final eight points.
Galway’s Cormac Bane scored 1-02 in the first half but Mayo fought back with Conor Mortimer levelling at 1-05 apiece before half-time.
Ger Brady nabbed Mayo’s opening goal after a mix-up in the Galway defence, and their second major arrived in the 47th-minute from Alan Dillon who followed up on the rebound of a Mortimer penalty.
The sides’ second meeting at the league’s semi-final stage in two years was far from classic fare, despite the championship-like conditions.
Galway had won five matches on the trot to make this year’s semi-finals and they got off to an encouraging start, notching 1-01 without reply inside eight minutes.
Quick thinking from a close range free allowed Nicky Joyce to point from an easier angle in the sixth-minute, and two minutes later, Joe Bergin gobbled up a clearance out of the Mayo defence, passed to Padraic Joyce and he found Bane, who shot home to the roof of David Clarke’s net.
Mayo waited all of 13 minutes before registering their first score – centre forward Andy Moran rifled over from play after a neat cross-field ball from Dillon – and the Connacht champions were level at 1-02 apiece just five minutes later.
Derek Savage and Dillon traded points and sandwiched in between was full-forward Brady’s goal,l which came from a defensive mix-up that saw Galway keeper Paul Doherty take the wrong option in staying on his line.
The sides went point for point for the remainder of the half with Nicky Joyce and Bane (0-02) keeping Galway competitive, and Aidan Kilcoyne and Mortimer (0-02) adding to Mayo’s total.
Padraic Joyce notched Galway’s sixth point, ninety seconds after the restart, and the Tribesmen pushed 1-08 to 1-05 ahead with further points from Nicky Joyce.
However poor wides from Michael Meehan, Bergin and Savage followed and Mayo gradually clawed their way back into a poor quality game.
Mayo awoke from their slumber in the 47th-minute when Mortimer won a penalty. Paul Doherty managed to save the Shrule-Glencorrib attacker’s spot kick, but Dillon was well-placed to side-foot home on the rebound.
Meehan laid the groundwork for Padraic Joyce to point Galway back in front at 1-09 to 2-05. However Peter Ford’s charges could only add three more points to their tally in the last 20 minutes – all from former skipper Joyce.
Successive points from Pat Harte, who made up for a poor wide in the first half, and Dillon (free) sent Mayo in front for the first time, a quarter-of-an-hour from the finish.
Joyce twice got Galway back on terms, yet despite his assuredness in front of goal, the Killererin ace missed two late attempts to equalise.
The points that kept Mayo on track to lift their first league title since 2001 arrived from wing back Enda Devenney, Brady, who fisted over a ball in from Dillon, and Mortimer (free).
Revenge will certainly be in the air at Pearse Stadium on May 20 when these sides clash in the Connacht championship.
