Mayo deficiencies laid bare by Dublin's show of strength

Dublin 1-12 Mayo 0-7

Dublin’s Cormac Costello celebrates after scoring his side’s only goal during last night’s Allianz Football League win over Mayo at Croke Park. Photo: Daire Brennan

Dermot Crowe

February 24 2019 06:30 PM

This rivalry between Dublin and Mayo, that once burned fiercely and regaled the nation, now looks quenched, existing only in memory. Mayo's star has waned and their priorities may need to be redrawn.

Eclipsed in their own province by Galway, and close to being relegated last year, they came to Croke Park last night buoyed by three league wins, facing a Dublin team already beaten twice, but they left with a defeat that underlined a chasm between the counties that is now indisputable.

Dublin’s Con O’Callaghan in action against Mayo’s Donal Vaughan at Croke Park last night. Photo: Sportsfile

Long before the finish that came as a merciful relief, Dublin had made the outcome inevitable, exerting an almost contemptuous control. The announcement that Cormac Costello was the game's man of the match came on the strength of 1-4 on a night when scores were not plentiful.

He also had the most decisive one, the game's only goal. But it was impossible to disregard the heroics of Robbie Hennelly. The Mayo goalkeeper prevented a catastrophe with seven saves, a couple from Costello, a couple from Paul Mannion, one from Jack McCaffrey - it was hard to keep track.

He also scored two points from Mayo's meagre total, for a team whose attack was toothless, as poor as it has ever been, feeble and incapable of laying a hand on Dublin. They had just one score from the starting forwards. Fionn McDonagh, who showed more promise in impossible circumstances, kicked a fine point with his left foot in the first half and that was it.

Aidan O'Shea was followed everywhere by Cian O'Sullivan on the Kilmacud man's comeback appearance. Ciarán Treacy went off injured. Andy Moran had a day he'd rather forget. Everything Brian Reape kicked turned to dust.

Dublin’s Cormac Costello celebrates after scoring his side’s only goal during last night’s Allianz Football League win over Mayo at Croke Park. Photo: Daire Brennan

They shot 14 wides and kicked a number of other scoring opportunities short and they never seriously threatened the Dublin goal where Evan Comerford hadn't to make a single serious save. Dublin defended at their ease and there was never the remotest risk of being beaten by Mayo for the first time in Jim Gavin's reign.

The last Mayo win over Dublin in a competitive match was in August, 2012. Their last league win over Dublin was in March of the same year. That run does not look like ending any time soon.

In those conversations centred around who might disrupt Dublin's dominance, Mayo had already become a peripheral concern before last night's meeting. They went to Croke Park hoping to find some of their old spark and backbone. The second coming of James Horan had generated renewed hope and three wins on the bounce allowed a degree of guarded optimism.

Dublin lost in Tralee two weeks ago, to go with an opening league defeat in Monaghan. Did it mean anything to a team chasing a record fifth All-Ireland in a row this year? Perhaps not a great deal.

They needed a response to maintain their bid in their defence of their league title win of 2018, and they did it with such mastery of Mayo that it will puncture some of the neutral optimism that they can be seriously challenged.

They gave first starts to O'Sullivan, Ciarán Kilkenny and David Byrne, left off Dean Rock and there was no sign of James McCarthy, who starred in Tralee.

McCaffrey had his first start of the season, kicked one beautiful score, and looked near his best. Kilkenny did some neat things and went off in the second half. In the middle of the field Darren Gavin gained more experience alongside Brian Fenton. And all you could say was that they never really looked in bother.

Mayo's cause was not helped by black cards in each half to Lee Keegan and Seamus O'Shea, which left them a man short for ten minutes when if anything they needed a man extra.

By half-time they were six points adrift, and lucky to be just that behind. Hennelly was unable to stop a powerful shot from Costello after 18 minutes when the Whitehall player dummied past Keith Higgins, making his 150th senior appearance, leaving the defender on the seat of his pants. He buried the ball at the near post to give Dublin a 1-2 to 0-2 lead.

Mayo were already five points down when they lost Keegan to a black card after 27 minutes, and Dublin went seven up, before Mayo had it back to six. That was the distance between them when O'Shea was black-carded after 49 minutes, Fenton adding a sweet score to open a seven-point advantage almost immediately. The rest was dour and predictable.

In the second half, Colm Boyle tried to get to a McDonagh cross and in charging through knocked over one of the umpires. After a few minutes' treatment, he was stretchered off. We wish him well in his recovery. Maybe he had seen enough.

Scorers - Dublin: C Costello 1-4 (2f); P Mannion (1f), D Rock (1m, 1f) 0-2 each; C Kilkenny, J McCaffrey, C O'Callaghan, B Fenton 0-1 each.

Mayo: R Hennelly (1f, 1 '45'), J Doherty (2f) 0-2 each; F McDonagh, M Ruane, K McLoughlin 0-1 each.

Dublin: E Comerford; M Fitzsimons, D Byrne, J Cooper; J McCaffrey, C O'Sullivan, E Murchan; B Fenton, D Gavin; B Howard, C O'Callaghan, N Scully; P Mannion, C Kilkenny, C Costello. Subs: D Rock for Kilkenny (49), P Andrews for Mannion (58), S Bugler for Howard (64), D Daly for Fitzsimons (inj 65), MD Macauley for Gavin (67).

Mayo: R Hennelly; K Higgins, G Cafferkey, B Harrison; P Durcan, C Boyle, L Keegan; M Ruane, D Vaughan; F McDonagh, A O'Shea, C Treacy; A Moran, B Reape, J Doherty. Subs: C Barrett for Cafferkey (inj 20), K McLoughlin for Treacy (inj 35+1), S O'Shea for Durcan (h-t), F Boland for Moran (59), S Coen for Reape (69).

Referee: B Cassidy (Derry).

Joe Brolly's verdict, Page 11