Only a breath away

Only a breath away

Overview
Denise Horan

SINCE that breakthrough in October 1999, the Mayo ladies team has hovered consistently around the rarified air breathed by champions. Four times they have filled their lungs with it, once they got a gulp only to have the supply transferred elsewhere at the vital last second and twice they were narrowly denied a place in the final duel for another refill.
Nine seasons later that heaven-scented air is back to tantalise them for the next three weeks.
The manner of their return to Croke Park, after a four-year absence, was impressive – more impressive than the final five-point margin last Saturday evening suggests. Gemma Begley’s late goal from the penalty spot put a gloss on the final scoreline that Tyrone’s laboured second half showing – and Mayo’s clinical one – did not merit, but semi-final winning margins tend not to concern teams with eyes only for the ultimate prize. And that is what Mayo have had this year more than anything else – a single-minded focus. Each game has been but a stepping stone to another stepping stone, and when the final whistle sounded in Breffni Park in the dusk of last Saturday evening the final stone was reached. The prize was then only one hop away, but one hop is still one hop, the players seemed to realise instinctively, and until the journey is complete no celebration will be permitted.
From the moment they were drawn against Tyrone in the last four, their return to headquarters seemed guaranteed. And therein lay the greatest danger of all. When there’s no reason for you to lose, there’s every chance you will. But, despite conceding an early goal, Mayo always looked too sure-footed to slip on the banana skin.
Not that the northern pretenders didn’t try to trip them up. Aided by a spirit that has willed many lesser teams to unlikely victories in the past, Tyrone showed neither fear of nor reverence for their more decorated opponents. Instead, they tore into them determinedly, eager to atone for the 2000 semi-final defeat Mayo doled out to them en route to their second All-Ireland title.
With 3-6 to her credit from the quarter-final, full-forward Gemma Begley was, naturally, singled out as the player to watch. And watch her Helena Lohan did, shadowing her movements, mirror-like, in the first half. Still Begley landed four points in that half – two from frees – and had a hand in almost every other attack Tyrone mounted, thanks mainly to Tyrone’s tactic of isolating her and leaving acres of space in front of her. Still, she was reasonably well-contained.
It was Eilish Gormley – Tyrone’s star player in 2000 – who posed a greater threat to Mayo, as it turned out, the Carrickmore teacher contributing more to the red and white cause through sheer honesty of effort than anyone else on the pitch. But, apart from flashes of brilliance and doggedness from Gormley and the odd dash from Begley, Tyrone all but lost their way in the second half. Diane O’Hora’s goal just moments after being introduced as a half-time substitute set the tone for the second period, giving Mayo the platform from which they sailed home and denting Tyrone’s confidence irreparably.
While victory was comprehensive in the end, few individuals – apart from Cora Staunton and the equally mesmerising Aoife Herbert – stood out for Mayo. Instead, the collective composure and concentration of the team was what impressed most. This is a team that knows what it wants and seems to appreciate the consistency of effort required to get it.
Cork now await at the last stepping stone. Only one team will make the final crossing to that special place where the air is fit for champions. Mayo have under three weeks to ensure they are the last ones standing.