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May’s dreams with All-Ireland ended for another year, as Dublin made more history by winning a sixth consecutive All-Ireland title at Croke Park. This is how we saw it.
DUBLIN
Stephen Cluxton 6.5 / 10
Cluxton had a difficult second quarter, as Mayo won two of his long restarts in a row, while one of his short efforts failed to pass the 20-meter line, prompting vomiting. He was much more orderly in the second half, as he claimed his eighth All-Ireland title, although there won’t be a seventh All-Star. You are unlikely to care too much about that.
Michael Fitzsimons 6/10
He showed a bit of carelessness that Dublin rarely possesses, well visualized when he let a mere Stephen Cluxton pierce his legs. It gave Lee Keegan a huge hit. David Coldrick said he was fine, but it was a yellow card infraction all day.
David Byrne 7/10
I found Cillian O’Connor too hot to handle at times, but not many can beat Ballintubber’s ace. He was, however, the strongest of the defense line and came ahead brilliantly at the end to set up a marker for Ciarán Kilkenny.
Jonny Cooper 5/10
They took a certain score off him after Robbie McDaid’s silly black card. He took two free hits near the goal in the third quarter and somehow escaped a card when he fouled Aidan O’Shea. I was not surprised to see him replaced just before the second half water break.
Eoin Murchan 7/10
It took him 17 minutes before he did one of his trademark bursts forward and Murchan became more visible as the game progressed. He made good yards as usual for Dessie Farrell’s side and was always a useful outlet when they were under pressure.
Little John 7.5 / 10
He forced a very good fumble to Ryan O’Donoghue early on and later in the half came forward to explode when half a scoring opportunity had been opened. He snapped a kick away from Aidan O’Shea for a Dublin point at a crucial stage of the second half and in the 78th minute he was still throwing his body down the line when he denied a goal to Kevin McLaughlin.
Robbie McDaid 6/10
He had been moving the ball well, but his first half was spoiled by a silly black card that caused Dublin not only to miss a certain score, but to start the second half with 14 men. He was stable on both sides of that incident, but calmer than he has been all year.
Brian Fenton 10/8
He really came to the fore with a brilliant second half after an unusually quiet first 35 minutes. He showed good strength to get rid of Diarmuid O’Connor in the 42nd minute and took an excellent mark in midfield a minute later. He repeated the dose with another brilliant search just after Mayo narrowed the gap to four points.
James McCarthy 8/10
He changed this all-Ireland final in just 13 seconds when he won the throw-in over Aidan O’Shea, stepped forward, took the return pass and fueled Dean Rock for the fastest goal in Irish final history. It was a first half action and while he was calmer in the second half, it was still one of the key reasons Dublin lifted Sam up once again.
Niall Scully 8.5 / 10
The forgotten hero of this Dublin team, Scully had a great final and had a great turnout for both of her goals. He made a good score to start the second half and was absolutely everywhere. A potential man of the match, even if he tends to make the most of contact at times.
Ciarán Kilkenny 8.5 / 10
In the first half with Paddy Durcan following him, Ciarán Kilkenny reverted to his role as a playmaker in the more direct style we’ve become accustomed to this season. That said, he was struggling to make a big mark until Durcan’s retirement at halftime. In the second half he seemed to enjoy much more freedom and took advantage of it with a couple of good goals to accompany his point at the end of the first period.
Seán Clarín 6.5 / 10
Replaced at halftime, but hadn’t really done much wrong. He recycled the ball well and showed good conscience to create room to curl at one point in the 11th minute.
Small Rice 6.5 / 10
He won an early free kick that Dean Rock converted, but a fairly quiet final for the Ballymun man and was replaced by Paul Mannion in the second half.
With O’Callaghan 8.5 / 10
The decision to pair Oisin Mullin against him seemed like a masterstroke from the start as the Mayo man got on his bike and caused problems from an offensive standpoint. However, O’Callaghan soon went straight into the competition and his goal was an excellent piece of individual thought and finishing as he threw his fist into the net after a flawless one-two with Niall Scully. Poor handling prevented another scoring opportunity on the winger from Davin Stand, but an overall fantastic performance.
Dean Rock 7/10
For a man who had a goal to his name after just 13 seconds, Rock actually had a quiet enough finish. Still, when he was called to release, he was infallible and landed four of those in 70 minutes.
SUBS
Brian Howard 8/10
The best of the submarines presented for both sides. In addition to a super score after a patient build-up play by Dublin, it gave them a real platform in the middle and helped start their period of dominance in the second half.
Paul Mannion 6.5 / 10
His first shot on goal went wide, but he landed a super free and looked very upbeat in his 25-something minutes on the field.
Colm Basquel 6/10
Dublin had exercised his dominance when he came in and helped keep the ball moving.
Cormac Costello N / A
Brought in additional time.
Philadelphia McMahon N / A
Brought in additional time.
MAYONNAISE
David Clarke 7.5 / 10
There had been a lot of talk about his pre-match sending-offs, but they were very good, especially in the first half. A short reboot sparked a bit of a panic, but Eoghan McLaughlin got him out of trouble. No chance with either goal.
Chris Barrett 7/10
Barrett’s steady performance and no obvious mistakes, he kept Dean Rock quiet as the game passed them by, the first minute aside, of course.
Oisin Mullin 7.5 / 10
He got off to a tremendous start to this final when he took the first score of May, while a fantastic search in the middle led to the team’s third score. He was probably Mayo’s best player in the first half and one of their best players overall.
Lee Keegan 7/10
He stayed close to home for the first 25 minutes and it’s hard to escape the idea that he was lost. He took the lead as the game unfolded and his lateral move away from James McCarthy and Ciarán Kilkenny to set up Ryan O’Donoghue’s point in the 31st minute was excellent. The momentum was stopped a bit by a controversial hit from Michael Fitzsimons in the third quarter.
Paddy Durcan 7/10
Durcan’s exit at halftime was a serious blow to Mayo’s ambitions. He had followed Ciarán Kilkenny up to this point and had kept him fairly calm. The Dublin player had a massive second half, but it’s unlikely that would have happened if Durcan had lasted.
Stephen Coen 6/10
Mixed the good with the bad. His positioning was a bit fishy at times and Ciarán Kilkenny turned him too easily to score in the second half. However, he took a few breaks and his pointy mark with the outside of his foot caught the eye.
Eoghan McLaughlin 6/10
A more conservative performance than we are used to this season from McLaughlin. Tidy in possession and got David Clarke out of trouble at one point, but overall he was calm enough.
Conor Loftus 7/10
Loftus was given leave to move forward and threw in an effort after a strong support run in the 13th minute, when perhaps he could have gone for the jugular. He looked tired in the second half and was replaced at the end when Mayo tried to find his way back to the competition.
Matthew Ruane 6.5 / 10
His athleticism caused problems in the first half but, like most of Mayo’s players in that central area, he saw his influence diminish in the second half as Dublin took a firm grip on proceedings.
Kevin McLoughlin 6.5 / 10
Usually he was compromised and ran to the ground, but coughed up possession too easily at times. He won some kickoff breaks from Clarke and Cluxton.
Ryan O’Donoghue 7/10
A strange departure for the young man. He kicked two great scores in the game in the first half, but his inexperience showed at times as well, as he made the wrong choice on several occasions. He didn’t seem happy coming out, but he will be a key forward for Mayo for years to come.
Diarmuid O’Connor 8/10
O’Connor made mistakes, like letting Brian Fenton easily ignore him to score a point and make an easy pass down the sideline, but no one on the court made the effort that he did. O’Connor was making crucial back blocks, reaching for the ball in the middle and mounting tackles to set up scoring on attack. Fatigue and mistakes were inevitable given his efforts.
Tommy Conroy 5/10
It just wasn’t Tommy Conroy’s day as this final was completely overlooked. When he got on the ball he seemed nervous and it only lasted 49 minutes. Still, what a discovery this boy has been to Westerners.
Aidan O’Shea 6/10
If Mayo had a chance, he’d probably need a monster demo from Aidan O’Shea. It just didn’t come. He was hit mid-air by James McCarthy for Dublin’s early goal and fouled Niall Scully to give away another score after John Small broke a ball away from him that he should have won. He caused panic around the square early in the second half and took two easy fouls, but strangely, Mayo didn’t try that tactic any more.
Cillian O’Connor 8/10
Cillian O’Connor had a calmer second half after moving further off the field, but he caused all kinds of problems for Dublin and David Byrne in the first half. He finished the match with nine points, including one mark and two from play, but Mayo will be disappointed that they didn’t use him more after the break.
SUBS
Michael Plunkett 6/10
He started at halftime for Paddy Durcan, but had trouble stopping the Blue Wave in the second half when Dublin made his move.
James Carr 5/10
Sent during the fourth quarter to try and force something, but couldn’t really make an impact.
Darren Coen 5.5 / 10
He made a good score but then took some shots from ridiculous angles that were never going to disturb the scoreboard.
Jordan Flynn 5.5 / 10
It helped in the final 10 minutes when Mayo got his hands back on the ball, but the game was all but gone when he entered.
James Durcan N / A
Brought in additional time.
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