PREVIEW: Dublin Footballers Begin 2025 League Campaign Against Mayo

Picture Courtesy Sportsfile 

By Conor Martin 

Dessie Farrell's Dublin are back in inter-county action this weekend, as Dublin take on Mayo in the opening round of the Allianz Football League under the lights at Croke Park (throw-in 7:30pm). 

Get match tickets here. 

The action this Saturday features the new Gaelic football rules passed by the GAA Special Congress at the end of last year for the first time at competitive inter-county level.

Dublin are without the recently retired pair of Brian Fenton and James McCarthy for 2025, after they called time on their careers in the sky blue jersey over the winter. However, there are 16 new faces in Farrell’s county panel who will look to have an instant impact, as Dublin look to go one better this year after losing the 2024 league final on the lottery of a penalty shoot-out to Derry. 

Last year Mayo got the better of Dublin in their one-point win in Castlebar thanks to Fergal Bolands last-minute winner. We would also meet in the group stage of the All-Ireland, but this time it would be Dublin finding a score in the last minute, which came courtesy of Cormac Costello as we played out an end-to-end draw that finished 0-17 to 0-17.

Dublin haven’t beaten the Connacht men in the league since 2020 and our last home win against Mayo was back in 2019. 

Mayo ended their 2024 league campaign with four wins and three defeats, and naturally Kevin McStay and his men will look to improve on that performance this year. 

Unfortunately for McStay, his players and the Mayo faithful, a number of key players have stepped away from the senior set-up for 2025. Padraig O'Hora, James Carr, Michael Plunkett and Rory Byrne won’t be wearing the famous green and red jersey this year, and surprisingly neither will one of their most prolific forwards in recent years, Cillian O'Connor, who is the highest scoring player in All-Ireland Senior Football Championship history. 

However, Tommy Conroy and Ryan O’Donoghue can help fill the O'Connor-shaped hole in the Mayo team by showing their weight on the scoreboard. O’Donoghue will be one Dublin’s defence need to keep an eye on this Saturday night thanks to his prowess in front of the posts. The Belmullet man demonstrated his ability to score from frees and open play in our two encounters with Mayo last year, racking up seven points for himself in both games.

Aidan O’Shea, Conor Loftus and Boland will also look to trouble Dublin, but the Boys in Blue aren’t short of options to get over the line this weekend.

The likes of Costello and Ciarán Kilkenny obviously bring a huge amount of experience to our attack, while Tom Lahiff, Killian McGinnis and Ross McGarry will also be looking to make life difficult for Mayo, while the likes of Eoin Murchan and Sean MacMahon are just two of a solid Dublin defence that will be looking to restrict Mayo's scoring opportunities. 

Dublin v Mayo last five Allianz Football League meetings:

●3rd February 2024, MacHale Park, Castlebar, Mayo, Mayo 1-12 (15) - 0-14 (14) Dublin

●19th February 2022, Croke Park, Dublin, Dublin 0-12 (12) - 2-17 (23) Mayo

●1st February 2020, MacHale Park, Castlebar, Mayo, Mayo 0-8 (8) - 1-11 (14) Dublin

●23rd February 2019, Croke Park, Dublin, Dublin 1-12 (15) - 0-7 (7) Mayo

●24th February 2018, MacHale Park, Castlebar, Mayo, Mayo 0-12 (12) - 2-10 (16) Dublin

You can buy tickets here. 

The game will also be shown live on TG4 from 7:30pm.