Senior footballers hit turbo button to burn off Mayo

DUBLIN 3-15 MAYO 1-14

The Dubs v Kerry in an All-Ireland SFC final … a match to savour after the Dubs hit a power surge in the concluding quarter to overcome Mayo in Saturday evening’s pulsating semi-final replay.

Cillian O’Connor’s 43^rd minute goal pushed the Connacht champions into a 1-11 to 0-10 but two Dublin goals from then to the finish saw the Dubs booked their All-Ireland final berth on Sunday, September 20.

In the 57^th minute Bernard Brogan made inroads along the Davin Stand endline before handpassing the ball across the face of the goal from where the rampaging Philly McMahon got the finishing touch to the net to fire up his side.

Two minutes earlier Brogan had shown stunning poacher's instinct to redirect the hard-working Brian Fenton's cross of the face of the goal shot to the net. 

McMahon has an outstanding game, scoring 1-2, as his dynamic game exposed Aidan O'Shea's inability to track back on numerous occasions.

Points from the superb Paddy Andrews and Bernard Brogan moved Dublin five points clear 2-14 to 1-12 as the Dublin subs began to have a telling influence on proceedings.

Three minutes from the end of normal time supersub Kevin McManamon produced his magic yet again when his bustled his way through on goal before unleashing a stunning left footed finish to beat Mayo keeper Rob Hennelly.

The opening half was played a blistering pace and Dublin’s timing and deployment of their subs was central to victory.

By the break the sides were level 0-10 each as the sides match each other stride for stride.

Goal chances were hard to come by but Dublin had looked the more likely to raise a green flag with Philly McMahon located by a clever Bernard Brogan pass but he did not control the ball at the first time of asking and had to settle for a point.

The quality of point scoring of both teams was excellent, particularly from Dublin duo Paddy Andrews and the influential Ciarán Kilkenny with the Dublin 15 duo tallying six points between them in the opening period.

However, the game like it could move away from Dublin when Cillian O’Connor struck a free before his goal.

Mayo had lost Seamus O’Shea to a black card at that stage while the introduction of Michael Darragh Macauley saw Dublin begin to dominate around the middle sector.

But Dublin were not to be denied as they drove relentlessly at their opponents with the likes of James McCarthy and Jack McCaffrey putting Mayo on the back foot as Jim Gavin’s men showed they had learned move from the drawn encounter.

SCORERS - Dublin: P Andrews 0-5, P McMahon 1-2, B Brogan, K McManamon 1-1 each, C Kilkenny, D Rock (0-2f) 0-2 each, B Fenton, J McCarthy 0-1 each.Mayo: C O’Connor 1-6 (0-5f), D O'Connor 0-2, L Keegan, A O'Shea, K McLoughlin, B Moran, P Durcan, A Moran (0-1f) 0-1 each..

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; R O'Carroll, P McMahon, J Cooper; J McCarthy, C O'Sullivan, J McCaffrey; B Fenton, D Bastick; P Flynn, D Connolly, C Kilkenny; B Brogan, D Rock, P Andrews. Subs: M Fitzsimons for Cooper (45), MD Macauley for Bastick (45), A Brogan for Flynn (52), K McManamon for Rock (53), E Lowndes for Connolly (68), J Small for B Brogan (71).

MAYO: R Hennelly; K Higgins, G Cafferkey, C Barrett; D Vaughan, L Keegan, C Boyle; S O'Shea, B Moran; D O'Connor, T Parsons, J Doherty; K McLoughlin, A O'Shea, C O'Connor. Subs: P Durcan for Vaughan (34), A Moran for S O'Shea (black card 39), A Freeman for B Moran (55), D Drake for Boyle (60), S Coen for Parsons (65), M Ronaldson for McLoughlin (70).

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