Mayo's talisman: “All-Ireland champions, you will never take that away from us.”
It came as no surprise to anyone that Ryan O’Donghue was named the man of the match after the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final against Kerry last Sunday, and again it wasn't surprising to see him named The Sunday Games’s player of the season, writes Patrick Hennelly.
The Belmullet dynamo scored five points in the All-Ireland final, including two two-pointers, and produced a real swashbuckling display from start to finish.
Speaking in Croke Park after the game, O'Donoghue said he was proud of where the team has come from since his time involved with the set-up.
“I'm so proud of where we came from over the last couple of years. Some of us have been here since 2020, 2021, and we suffered heartbreak in those finals.
“We've done what we said we'd do, and we're so proud of the lads. All-Ireland champions, you will never take that away from us.”
O’Donoghue, who played a vital role in setting up Mayo’s goal in a 1-20 to 1-17 victory, said he believes that everything happens for a reason.
“I'm not sure if I was ever really over 2021 to be honest, but about two and a half hours ago, whatever time it was, I'm over it now – and yeah, look, it's been a long road. It’s been a long road since I was 11 or 12 years old and my parents bringing me up to the National Stadium in Dublin so I could compete in boxing matches.
“I was training and running the roads, then played soccer with Sligo Rovers, Gaelic football with the Mayo minors, and everything has been worth it today. I am just so proud of all the lads, and we are the All-Ireland champions.”
The Erris man added that family means an awful lot to him. “What my mother and father have done for me is brilliant. It is different when you come from Belmullet as you don’t have the resources and we are a lot further from everywhere else. This success is as much for my family as it is for me.”
The infusion of youth into the team has been a massive boost for Mayo this year, as O’Donoghue explained.
“I'm only as good as the boys beside me, and what Kobe McDonald, Darragh Beirne and Eoin McGreal are doing is absolutely unbelievable. Playing with no fear, the dedication, the work that they're doing at that age – there's not many people in the country that are doing this, and we would not be here without them, along with the 41 other players.”
O'Donoghue also singled out another member of the Mayo set-up – performance psychologist Rachel Sheehan. She played a vital role, according to O’Donoghue.
“Everyone at the highest level is always looking for that extra 1%. Every team is doing S&C, everyone is training hard, and most teams have top quality coaches. Rachel has been an unbelievable addition to the backroom team. We have had great performance psychologists in the past, but Rachel has done something different for this team.”
O'Donoghue, the Mayo talisman, concluded: “Andy (Moran, team manager) has also instilled a never-say-die attitude in us.”