WE WERE LIVE from Croke Park as Dublin and Mayo met in a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final.
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Dublin 3-14 Mayo 2-17
Good evening and welcome to Croke Park. It’s the Dubs v Mayo and — as we may be hearing on Sky Sports later this summer — IT’S LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE.
Throw-in is at 7pm so there’s plenty of time to get comfortable. I’ll have the team news in a second.
Here’s the Dublin team as named last night. They show seven changes from the defeat against Derry with Rory O’Carroll and Paul Flynn named for their first starts.
Stephen Cluxton (Parnell’s); Jonny Cooper (Na Fianna), Rory O’Carroll (Kilmacud Crokes), Darren Daly (Fingal Ravens); James McCarthy (Ballymun Kickhams), Tomás Brady (Na Fianna), Kevin Nolan (Kilmacud Crokes); Michael Darragh Macauley (Ballyboden St Enda’s), Cian O’Sullivan (Kilmacud Crokes); Paul Flynn (Fingallians), Alan Brogan (St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh), Diarmuid Connolly (St Vincent’s); Kevin McManamon (St Jude’s), Eoghan O’Gara (Templeogue Synge St), Paddy Andrews (St Brigid’s).
Here’s how Mayo are expected to line out:
Rob Hennelly (Breaffy); Tom Cunniffe (Castlebar Mitchels), Ger Cafferkey (Ballina Stephenites), Brendan Harrison (Aghamore); Lee Keegan (Westport), Donal Vaughan (Ballinrobe), Colm Boyle (Davitts); Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy), Jason Gibbons (Ballintubber); Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore), Keith Higgins (Ballyhaunis), Jason Doherty (Burrishoole); Andy Moran (capt, Ballaghderreen), Alan Freeman (Aghamore), Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber).
The teams are out on the pitch below me warming up as the crowd slowly starts to filter into Croke Park.
As things stand, both teams are level on six points after their first five games. Tonight could go a long way towards deciding which of these makes it to the semi-finals.
Who do you fancy?
CHANGE FOR DUBLIN: Cormac Costello will start at full-forward in place of Eoghan O’Gara.
We’re just about ready to go here. If you were to ask me to hazard a guess at the crowd size, I’d say we’re around the 17,000 mark at the moment.
THROW IN: Referee Cormac Reilly gets us underway. Mayo will attack the Hill 16 end in this first half.
Donal Vaughan has a chance to get Mayo up and running inside 15 seconds but he fires wide.
Cormac Costello bears down on goal at the other end but he’s blocked by the diving Brendan Harrison.
Dublin 0-1 Mayo 0-0 — 2 mins: Cluxton slots the 45.
Dublin 0-2 Mayo 0-0 — 3 mins: James McCarthy ships the ball off to Paddy Andrews who kicks Dublin’s first from play. Bright start by the league champs.
A couple of positional switches for both sides early on. Andy Moran is gone out to centre-forward with Kevin McLaughlin in the corner.
Tomas Brady starts in midfield for Dublin with Cian O’Sullivan dropping in at centre-back.
Dublin 0-3 Mayo 0-1 — 7 mins: Beautiful score by Alan Brogan who gets there in front of Harrison to point. Cillian O’Connor responds for Mayo at the other end.
Dublin 0-3 Mayo 0-3 — 11 mins: Aidan O’Shea and Andy Moran combine nicely in midfield and O’Shea floats a handpass into Donal Vaughan to score.
O’Connor adds another from a free after Kevin Nolan fouls Jason Doherty.
Dublin 0-4 Mayo 0-4 — 13 mins: Moran points into the Hill to give Mayo the lead for the first time but Dublin bounce right back and level it through Paul Flynn.
Mayo 0-5 Dublin 0-4 — 15 mins: Cluxton’s kick-out goes straight to Jason Gibbons and Mayo send it right back down on top of Dublin. Kevin McLaughlin turns back inside Darren Daly and points.
Mayo 0-5 Dublin 0-5 — 17 mins: Connolly plays a nice ball to Macauley who feeds Cormac Costello to point on the turn.
BLACK CARD — 21 mins: That’s the end of Colm Boyle’s evening. He grabs Alan Brogan’s leg and trips him as he turns towards goal. Shane McHale is on in his place.
Cormac Costello points a simple free to give Dublin the lead again.
Dublin 0-7 Mayo 0-5 — 23 mins: Again, Alan Brogan gets out in front of Harrison and again he points.
GOAL FOR MAYO! Mayo 1-5 Dublin 0-7 — 24 mins: Kevin McLaughlin gets the game’s opening goal. It’s a long ball in from Aidan O’Shea which breaks off Alan Freeman into McLaughlin’s pass. He keeps it low and beats Cluxton inside his right post.
Mayo 1-5 Dublin 0-8 — 26 mins: Costello gets his third to level it up for Dublin.
Change for the Dubs as well with Jason Whelan on to replace Paul Flynn.
RED CARD! Stephen Cluxton sent off for Dublin!
That was a straight red for Cluxton following an off-the-ball incident with Kevin McLaughlin after the ball went dead.
Referee Cormac Reilly consulted with his umpires and decided it was a sending-off.
Sean Currie comes on in goal, with Tomas Brady making way for him.
Well well well, that’s certainly spiced up an already interesting game…
Mayo 1-6 Dublin 0-8 — 34 mins: Andy Moran lays it off to Cillian O’Connor and he points to put Mayo one up as we head for the break.
Mayo 1-7 Dublin 0-8 — 35 mins: Mayo finishing with a nice bit of momentum against the 14 men. Keith Higgins tacks on another.
Mayo 1-9 Dublin 0-8 — 35+2 mins: Donal Vaughan points and then Kevin McLaughlin tacks on another. That’s 1-4 to 0-1 in Mayo’s favour to end the first half.
HALF TIME: Mayo 1-9 Dublin 0-8
Back in a few.
A little bit more detail on that Cluxton red card. The Dubs captain looked to try and take a kick out quickly but Kevin McLaughlin put an arm across him to slow him down. Cluxton’s response? Kick McLaughlin across the ankles.
Red card, all day every day.
22,697 is the attendance here at Croke Park tonight.
Goodnight…
SECOND HALF: We’re up and running again. Can Dublin’s 14 men turn this around?
Mayo 1-10 Dublin 0-8 — 37 mins: Cillian O’Connor points a free to open up a five-point gap.
Couple of changes at the break. Devereux and McCaffrey on for O’Sullivan and Andrews. For Mayo, Drake replaces Harrison.
Mayo 1-10 Dublin 0-9 — 38 mins: Kevin McManamon points for Dublin.
Mayo 1-11 Dublin 0-10 — 44 mins: Kevin McLaughlin kicks his fourth of the day to bring Mayo’s lead back to five but Kevin McManamon responds immediately for the Dubs after some nice work by Cormac Costello.
Ooooh. That was a chance for Dublin. James McCarthy is in on goal but Shane McHale slides in just in time to stop him.
Never thought I’d be writing this sentence but we’ve nearly had an “own point” in Croke Park. Alan Brogan played a great ball in and as Ger Cafferkey tried to fly-kick it behind for a 45, he nearly put it over his own bar. It comes back off the post though and Rob Hennelly deals with it.
Mayo 1-12 Dublin 0-11 — 48 mins: O’Connor tacks on a free for Mayo but at the other end, Costello shows great strength and determination to hold off his marker and point.
Great save for Rob Hennelly who spread himself to deny Kevin Nolan. Dublin aren’t dead yet — in fact, they’ve probably been the better side for the last 10 minutes.
Mayo 1-13 Dublin 0-11 — 51 mins: But Mayo keep the scoreboard ticking over. Another O’Connor free after a Connolly foul.
Dublin sub – Dara Nelson on for Darren Daly.
Mayo 1-14 Dublin 0-11 — 52 mins: Mayo starting to pull away now as Mickey Sweeney points.
GOAL FOR DUBLIN! Mayo 1-14 Dublin 1-11 — 57 mins: Kevin McManamon dinks it over Rob Hennelly and Dublin are right back in this.
Mayo 1-15 Dublin 1-13 — 59 mins: Jason Gibbons points for Mayo but the Hill roars to life as Whelan and then Connolly kick points. Two in it now.
MORE DRAMA! Jason Doherty looks to have wrapped things up when he grabs a goal after a fine save by Sean Currie, but it’s chalked off by the officials.
Replays show that Doherty picked the ball off the ground
GOAL FOR MAYO! Mayo 2-15 Dublin 1-13 — 64 mins: That should be that. Currie tries to take a quick kick-out but McLaughlin picks O’Carroll’s pocket and plays it to Sweeney who makes no mistake.
GOAL FOR DUBLIN! Mayo 2-15 Dublin 2-14 — 65 mins: Hang on a second! Eoghan O’Gara makes it a one-point game after nice passes from McCaffrey and Whelan cut Mayo open.
Mayo 2-16 Dublin 2-14 — 66 mins: O’Connor points. Frantic stuff here,
Mayo 2-17 Dublin 2-14 — 69 mins: O’Connor points a free. Dublin need a goal now.
There’ll be a minute of additional time…
GOAL FOR DUBLIN! Eoghan O’Gara! All square in stoppage time
Jack McCaffrey has a chance to snatch it for the Dubs with the last kick… but it drifts wide!
FULL TIME: Dublin 3-14 Mayo 2-17
What a game here in Croke Park. It finishes all square thanks to Eoghan O’Gara’s late double.
I’m off to see what Jim Gavin and James Horan made of all that. Check back later for more reaction from Croke Park.
Thanks for reading.
