Ciarán Kilkenny, Dublin, and Conor Reid, Mayo, in Allianz Football League action at Croke Park. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Allianz Football League Division One
Dublin 1-17 (1-0-17) Mayo 1-15 (1-1-13)
By Paul Keane at Croke Park
As much as the rules and the seasons change, some things will always remain the same, like Dublin and Mayo duking it out to the bitter end at Croke Park.
The old rivals did so again this evening and Dublin ultimately came out on top, thanks in no small part to Man of the Match Sean Bugler who struck 0-07, all from play.
Kevin Lahiff had a solid league debut too with 1-2 from the St Jude's man including an early goal that got Dublin up and running.
Boss Dessie Farrell has introduced 16 new players in all this year but will have been pleased with their willingness to engage in battle with the old enemy and to have prevailed at the end of it.
Dublin did suffer a speed wobble in the first-half after a bright start but came good when the need was greatest in the final 20 minutes or so with substitute Luke Breathnach contributing two important scores.
Mayo were in experimental mode too, handing full league debuts to Davitt Neary and Fenton Kelly, while Kevin McStay was able to bring on rookies Cian McHale and Sean Morahan for valuable game time too.
Cillian O'Connor and Padraig O'Hora have retired and Aidan O'Shea wasn't available so McStay was looking for new performers and will continue the search when Mayo play Galway next Sunday.
Dublin will travel to Ballybofey to play Donegal next Saturday evening. Just over seven months after exiting last year's Championship at the hands of Galway, they returned to Croke Park with a new look team.
Their lineup contained five players - goalkeeper Gavin Sheridan, former AFL player James Madden, Kevin Lahiff, ex-hurler Eoghan O'Donnell and Brian O'Leary - making their full NFL debuts.
Eoin Murchan, Brian Howard, Ciaran Kilkenny and Bugler were the only players retained from Dublin's lineup against Galway in that All-Ireland quarter-final last June.
Notable absentees from Farrell's first matchday squad of 2025 included 43-year-old goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton, Cormac Costello, Paul Mannion, Jack McCaffrey and the entire Cuala contingent who were All-Ireland club winners last weekend.
Brian Fenton and James McCarthy, who retired in the closed season, definitely won't be back and Farrell has a tricky task to replace the midfield duo.
Killian McGinnnis wore number 13 here but contested the new one-v-one throw-up with Mayo's Conor Reid while Madden was Dublin's other midfielder.
The impact of the new rules was immediately clear with both goalkeepers getting forward and beyond the half-way line to give their side a 12-v-11 overload when attacking.
Mayo goalkeeper Colm Reape hit their first point after one of his bursts forward though Dublin had already scored 1-01 at that stage, Lahiff netting inside two minutes.
The Leinster champions rode that early wave of momentum to lead by 1-06 to 0-02 after 15 minutes and some in the 24,160 crowd were beginning to wonder if a rout was on the cards.
That's when things really got interesting because Mayo reeled off 1-07 without response, the goal coming from Reid in the 24th minute.
Mayo seemed energised within that rally by a two-point score from Fergal Boland who added a one-pointer later on.
They also benefited from a handy tap over free from Ryan O'Donoghue which came after the ball was brought forward 50 metres by referee Paul Faloon.
Dublin went 15 minutes without scoring in all and hit the interval trailing by two points as Mayo turned that early seven-point deficit into a 1-10 to 1-08 half-time lead.
The excitement levels dipped in the third quarter though Dublin were happy enough to reel Mayo in and briefly move ahead thanks to back-to-back Ciaran Kilkenny points.
Typically enough where Dublin and Mayo are concerned, it ended up in a tense back and forth for the last 20 minutes or so with the sides tied four times in the second-half.
Dublin ultimately pulled away with Bugler continuing to fire over the scores while substitute Luke Breathnach kicked two significant scores also after coming on.
Scorers for Dublin: Sean Bugler 0-7, Kevin Lahiff 1-2, Ciaran Kilkenny 0-2, Greg McEnaney 0-2, Luke Breathnach 0-2, Killian McGinnis 0-1, Colm Basquel 0-1.
Scorers for Mayo: Fergal Boland 0-4 (1 2pt), Conor Reid 1-0, Ryan O'Donoghue 0-3 (0-2f), Paul Towey 0-2, Frank Irwin 0-2, Davitt Neary 0-2, Colm Reape 0-1, Darren McHale 0-1.
Dublin: Gavin Sheridan; David Byrne, Theo Clancy, Eoin Murchan; Cian Murphy, Brian Howard, Greg McEnaney; Killian McGinnis, James Madden; Ciaran Kilkenny, Kevin Lahiff, Sean Bugler; Colm Basquel, Eoghan O'Donnell, Brian O'Leary.
Subs: Sean MacMahon for Murchan 45, Tom Lahiff for Madden 51, Luke Breathnach for O'Leary 51, Niall Scully for Kevin Lahiff 59, Sean Lowry for O'Donnell 66.
Mayo: Colm Reape; Sam Callinan, Rory Brickenden, Enda Hession; Stephen Coen, David McBrien, Donnacha McHugh; Fenton Kelly, Mattie Ruane; Conor Reid, Paul Towey, Davitt Neary; Fergal Boland, Frank Irwin, Ryan O'Donoghue.
Subs: Darren McHale for Towey 51, Cian McHale for Irwin 59, Bob Tuohy for McHugh, Sean Morahan for Kelly 62, Diarmud O'Connor for Neary 64.
Referee: Paul Faloon (Down).
