Mayo will bounce back from latest heartache - O'Mahony

Former Mayo manager and TD recovering well following battle with illness

Former Mayo football manager John O'Mahony is optimistic the county will bounce back swiftly from their All-Ireland SFC final defeat to Tyrone despite the deep disappointment.

Speaking to Midwest Radio, O'Mahony, who won two All-Ireland SFC titles with Galway in 1998 and 2001, said: “Most disappointing is the wait goes on. The semi-final was a tremendous win for Mayo.

“But I suppose hindsight is a great thing. Now it appears that obviously the Dublin team are slightly in decline and slightly we misjudged it.

"The novelty of this Tyrone-Mayo final was outstanding because of Mayo's record. I know it's all on the particular day, but Mayo's record against Tyrone was quite good.

“So I suppose there was a great feeling around the county and your heart would not just go out to the players but the supporters. There was a lot of disappointment after the final whistle but the Mayo supporters will come back again and again.”

Reflecting on the game, O'Mahony offered: “You have to be realistic. The better team won on the day. We started the game quite well. We created a number of goal chances but Tyrone took theirs.

“It was obvious that Mayo's danger players would be targeted. Paddy Durcan, he's a tremendous player, he got an excellent point but you have to say Conor Meyler, I was watching him closely, wherever Durcan went, Meyler was there and put him on the back foot a little bit more than any other player had done during the year and was still able to affect some scores.

"For instance, the ball into McShane (for the first goal) came from Meyler.

“These are the little things that make the difference on the day. R

"obbie Hennelly made a couple of good saves but for the McShane goal, he was caught in no man's land a little bit. It's disappointing and it's hurting but when you look at it, Tyrone were the better team.

“The penalty (miss) was crucial but Ryan O'Donoghue made a tremendous contribution. But I suppose on another sense, and it was interesting listening to James Horan saying that Cillian O'Connor was a huge loss, that was the first day we missed Cillian, not for the frees but for the leadership he can provide.”

Looking ahead, O'Mahony believes there is a very bright future ahead for Mayo's latest crop of young players coming through and once the ‘glass ceiling is broken’, it could be the start of a period of success on the national stage for the Green and Red.

Away from football, O'Mahony has been battling illness but revealed he is in ‘good health and good recovery’.

“It has been a difficult year. It puts life into perspective and things you worry about, I wouldn't any longer. I was overwhelmed by the response that I got all over the place.

"The critical part of my treatment was at Christmas when there was thousands of Covid cases and there was great tension in Galway University Hospital.

“But the care from top to bottom were absolutely brilliant. I wouldn't be in such a good shape without them. I'm very grateful for the support that I had everywhere. We're onwards and upwards and I hope to see a few All-Ireland wins before anything else happens,” he added.