This year’s All-Ireland finalists Mayo and Dublin don’t meet in the Championship that often, but when they do, they tend to be memorable affairs.
The two teams widely regarded to be the best two sides in the country at the moment will go head to head in the All-Ireland Football Final on Sunday week, just over a year on from a thrilling meeting in the last year’s All-Ireland semi-final when the men from the west emerged victorious before losing out to Donegal in the decider three weeks later.
That semi-final was one of a number of memorable clashes the teams have contested over the years and if this year’s final can live up to what was served up in the games referenced below then we’re in for a treat.
All-Ireland semi-final 2006, Mayo 1-16 – 2-12 Dublin
Along with the epic Dublin v Kerry encounter a couple of weeks ago, this game is held up as one of the classics of the modern era and there were any amount of twists and turns before a nerve-wracking climax capped by a tremendous point by Ciaran McDonald and a Mark Vaughan free coming up just short at the death.
After all the furore caused by Mayo’s decision to warm up in front of the Hill and Dublin’s decision to follow them down there, markers were laid down early by both sides but after a shaky start, Dublin looked home and hosed early in the second half.
Mayo were seven points down at one stage, but after promising manager Mickey Moran that he would score a goal, current captain Andy Moran came off the bench to make good on his promise as the tide turned in favour of the green and red as they held out for one of the most famous victories in their history. Just.
All-Ireland semi-final 1985, Dublin 1-13 – 1-13 Mayo
Not many people would have given Mayo a chance against a Dublin side who had won the 1983 All-Ireland title and lost in the final a year later, but the Westerners gave them a good rattle in Croke Park, with young colt Padraig Brogan and 42-year old Billy Fitzpatrick, who scored a point, impressing in a gutsy performance.
An unidentified member of the Dublin side also gave a good rattle to Mayo’s John Finn, who had his jaw broken on the day and has to this day kept his counsel on who was responsible. The Dubs were far too good in the replay and emerged as eight-point winners before losing out to old rivals Kerry in the final.
All-Ireland semi-final 2012, Mayo 0-19 – 0-16 Dublin
Much of the talk going into last year’s game surrounded Mayo’s ability to cope without their talisman Andy Moran and whether or not Dublin’s talisman, Alan Brogan, would be fit enough to wield a decisive influence.
In the end, Brogan came off the bench before having to cry off again, but his teammates nearly carried off the comeback of all comebacks, reducing a 10-point deficit to a single point before Mayo came good again at the end.
Mayo’s lead was built on a near perfect 45 minutes before they wilted in the face of a Dublin revival and if it wasn’t for a brilliant David Clarke save from Bernard Brogan late on, the outcome could have been a whole lot different.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No4t_OMdOQ0
All-Ireland semi-final replay 1955, Dublin 1-8 – 1-7 Mayo
The sides couldn’t be separated in the first semi-final, a game played in conditions so difficult that according to the GAA website, Dublin’s Nicky Maher wore goggles over his spectacles, but he must have had the wipers on when kicking a late free to send the game to a replay.
Mayo, who had lifted Sam Maguire in 1950 and 1951, were a fading force against an emerging Dublin outfit featuring Kevin Heffernan, and it was the Dubs who prevailed by a single point before once again losing out to Kerry in the decider.
All-Ireland Final 1921, Dublin 1-9 – 0-2 Mayo
The only ever All-Ireland final meeting between the sides took place way back in 1921, when Ireland was going through a period of unrest in between the War of Independence and the Civil War.
In-depth details of the match are hard to come across but thanks to a recent Irish Times report we do know that Mayo only managed to score a point in either half and that Dublin hammered home their superiority with a goal from Bill Fitzsimmons in the second half.
Interestingly, it is also believed to have been the first game to have featured a solo run, carried out by Mayo’s Sean Lavin, and although it was a revolutionary move at the time and is still replicated to this very day, it did him a fat lot of good at the time, with the Irish Times report ominously stating that Lavin “came in for heavy charges when in possession, but his style rather invites danger”.
Given the size and physical conditioning of both teams, any player embarking on solo runs into blind alleys can expect similar treatment on Sunday week.
Your County, Our Passion
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
