A fan's view about the Mayo football championship

One hundred and eight games later, and the curtain has finally dropped on the Mayo club football championship. It ended with arguably the rivalry that defined the season, that of Crossmolina and Moy Davitts, and the only regret for the neutral spectator was that it didn’t go to extra time.

Unlike the previous weekend, the conditions for both replays were as close to ideal as one could hope for in early November. In the stands, no lagging jackets were necessary. The junior replay between Bonniconlon and Cill Chomáin was no classic for the ages, but it did deliver the Titanic tussle we anticipated, as a dogged Bonniconlon took the Barony men to extra time, and never gave up, despite the evasiveness of the scores that had come to them with such ease in the first game.

READ: Mayo junior champions Cill Chomáin react to winning county title

The Bonniconlon Ultras behind the goals ran more than some of the players on the field, charging from end to end to do their best to distract the Cill Chomáin free-takers, with a comical mercy dash at the start of extra time when they realised they’d picked the wrong end. Dancing Justin Healy in his trademark pink boots delivered his second outrageous final performance in six days. He won balls to which he had no right, defying the laws of physics to find pockets of space amidst multiple markers, and burst the net when it counted most. With his first three-pointer early in extra time, you felt Bonniconlon’s goose was cooked, and fittingly, he sealed the deal close to the end, sending the Gaeltacht crowd into raptures. Will we see him in a Mayo shirt next year? 

There is something really special about watching a club so peripheral achieving this success, for only the third time in their history, and particularly given their recent final heartbreaks. Bonniconlon will surely have some regrets, but the taste of success will drive them on next year.

TENSION AND RIVALRY

There was just about time for the customary tea and KitKat (I’ll surely get a brand ambassador role soon?) before the intermediate final, and you could sense the nerves fizzing among both sets of supporters. The flare-bearing Crossmolina Ultras had doubled in population since the previous weekend and trebled in enthusiasm. 

READ: Crossmolina players react to securing intermediate crown

The only downside to Crossmolina and Moy Davitts meeting in a final was the knowledge that we will be deprived next year of what has become a fascinating, fiery rivalry. Tensions, as expected, were high, and while the Moysiders got off to a much more promising start than the previous weekend, there was no sense that Crossmolina’s young guns were panicking in the slightest, and so it showed on the scoreboard at half time, when just a point separated the two. Standout players and certain county prospects James Maheady (sporting a torn jersey by half time) and Cian McHale (what a left foot!) traded scores throughout, and the tension boiled over at the interval with another shemozzle between these two sides. Fortunately for the instigator, the officials failed to identify him, but it’s becoming a bit of a habit now. It might have been smarter to focus on football over fisticuffs.

It's well acknowledged that it is hard to create an atmosphere in HQ, but both sets of supporters in full voice did their level best. Behind us was a Crossmolina family with four face-painted children, including a young fella of no more than eight. Four more enthusiastic supporters were never seen in MacHale Park – they cheered non-stop from start to final whistle and the young lad in particular knew every single player on the field and on the subs bench, His non-stop running commentary revealed a level of tactical nous that convinced me he will one day manage Mayo and do a fine job, and in fact, would probably add immediate value. In front of us, a vocal Moy Davitts fan reminded the referee at regular intervals that he did, in fact, have cards in his pocket and should be dispensing them with more abandon. Pure, solid gold, and the epitome of all that is good and fun about club football.  

MAGNIFICENT LEADERSHIP

Moy Davitts must surely have thought Christmas had come early when Jordan Flynn was sin-binned in the midst of a superb display of fielding. He, too, must have endured a deeply uncomfortable walk to the line knowing he had left his teammates so exposed, but Conor Loftus had his back. In a magnificent display of leadership, the county half-forward/half-back stepped up and conducted the orchestra, leading the charge time and time again in a wave of defiance, until the loudest roar of the night raised the roof when Flynn re-entered the field to pick up where he had left off. A shellshocked Moy Davitts were outscored 3-1 while a man up, and it was Niall Coggins who sealed the deal, when he got a palm to a high Patrick Leddy ball that had hung in the air for what felt like minutes. While not an exhibition of skills execution, the game was full of the excitement we have come to expect from this pairing, and it was refreshing to see both sides just going for it, with none of the life-sucking lateral passing that plagues the game at higher levels.

The outburst of joy at the final whistle spoke volumes. It is six years since Crossmolina were relegated, and it is six years too long for such a proud club. The holy trinity of North Mayo is reunited, and those young guns will relish the challenge of senior football next year. Mickie Loftus’ captain’s speech was one of the more thoughtful and emotional we have heard in HQ for a while, and you can be sure that the Sweeney Cup was afforded a warm welcome back over the Deel.

That’s a wrap on Mayo, and a fine season it has been. But it’s far from over. Connacht, another road trip or two, and the prospect of bigger celebrations await.