Electric Ireland All-Ireland football quarter-final

MAYO 5-12 DUBLIN 2-19

By Declan Rooney at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park

Five-goal Mayo edged a classic Electric Ireland All-Ireland football quarter-final as substitute Rory Morrin hit the net five minutes from time to finally end Dublin’s brave comeback at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park.

Fionn Murray kicked ten points for Dublin, while goals from Alex Rogers and Luke Curran appeared to have given Dublin an unlikely come-from-behind victory as they had hauled back Mayo’s eight-point advantage to lead with six minutes to go.

But crucially first-half goals from Ciarán Mylett and Paul Walsh were added to by Ruairi Keane and Ethan Henry for Mayo, who now go on to play Monaghan or Cork in the semi-final in a fortnight’s time.

Playing with wind advantage Mayo bossed the first-half, but it wasn’t until the fourth minute that Mylett opened the scoring for the Connacht champions. His opposite number Dara Fagan drew Dublin level straight away with a point from the right, but with Dylan Thornton dominant around the middle sector Mayo soon pulled clear.

A 45 from Ethan Henry put Mayo a point up before a mazy run from Paul Walsh on the right produced the chance and the young Castlebar man hit the net with a low left-foot shot in the seventh minute.

Strangely, Mayo lined up with No 11 Owen McHale operating at corner back and captain Aidan Cosgrove a driving force on the right side of the attack, but anytime McHale won possession his driving runs put Mayo on the front foot.

Dublin too had their chances, but Luke Swan was denied when Alfie Morrison’s well timed shoulder, and that defensive work paid dividends in the 15th minute. A long range shot from Henry appeared to be a speculative effort, but it crashed back off the post and Mylett was quickest to the break and he palmed to the net to put Mayo 2-3 to 0-2 clear.

A couple of Murray frees was a good reply from a Dublin side that had lost to Kildare in the Leinster final, but Frank Irwin hit back with the next three scores for Mayo, which put them eight points clear.

The arrival of Ross Keogh in the Dublin attack added some much needed physicality and he pointed with his first chance, while Murray and Rogers also kicked good points to keep Dublin in touch at 2-8 to 0-8 at half-time.

Ten seconds after the restart Dublin trimmed that deficit further when Rogers kicked his second point, but three minutes later the Mayo supporters were buoyant again when Henry fired their third goal. It was a driving run from deep by McHale that sent him on his way, and after a long solo run the midfielder blasted to the roof of the net for a 3-8 to 0-9 lead.

Four points in a row from Dublin had the lead whittled down to four points with 14 minutes remaining, and only a stunning Luke Jennings save denied Keogh a goal a minute later, but from the 45 that followed Murray brought his tally to eight points.

Eleven minutes from time Mayo looked to be heading for the win when Keane finished off another powerful run with his side’s fourth goal.

But Dublin refused to lie down. Rogers struck the net in the 51st minute with Swan providing the assist, while the full-forward laid on his second goal seconds later when substitute Curran amazingly put Dublin a point ahead.

Somehow there was still more drama left in this epic encounter. Five minutes from the end Mayo substitute Morrin hit a fifth goal for his side to put them two point ahead, and after a third top class save from Jennings and a black card for Dublin’s Oran Farrell, Thornton kicked the clincher for the Connacht champions.

Scorers for Mayo: Frank Irwin 0-5 (3f), Ciarán Mylett 1-1, Ruairí Keane 1-1, Ethan Henry 1-1 (1’45), Dylan Thornton 0-3, Paul Walsh 1-0, Rory Morrin 1-0, John Grady 0-1.

Scorers for Dublin: Fionn Murray 0-10 (5f, 2’45), Alex Rogers 1-3, Luke Curran 1-2 (1f), Ross Keogh 0-1, Colm Walsh 0-1, Dara Fagan 0-1, Luke Swan 0-1.

MAYO: Luke Jennings; Alfie Morrison, Oisín Tunney, Owen McHale; Shaun Dempsey, Ruairí Keane, Eoin Gilraine; Mark Tighe, Ethan Henry; Aidan Cosgrove, Paul Walsh, Dylan Thornton; Ciarán Mylett, Ray Walsh, Frank Irwin. Subs: Rory Morrin for Tunney (half-time), Paddy Heneghan for Walsh (35), John Grady for Mylett (40), Ciarán Boland for Morrison (45), Conor Reid for Tighe (52), Ronan Hughes for Henry (63).

DUBLIN: Hugh O’Sullivan; Conor Archer, Oran Farrell, Kieran Conroy; Dara Purcell, Harry Colclough, Conor Tyrell; Senan Forker, Colm Walsh; Dara Fagan, Seán Kinsella, Fionn Murray; Alex Rogers, Luke Swan, Robbie Bolger. Subs: Ross Keogh for Bolger (24), Liam Fenton for Fagan (half-time), David O’Dowd for Colclough (35), Alex Watson for Purcell (37), Luke Curran for Kinsella (40), Michael Nealon for Farrell (56, black card).

Referee: Paul Faloon (Down).