Band of brothers never doubted their own ability to achieve the impossible Mayo dream

by John Melvin

MICHAEL Bublé’s 'Cry Me A River' came into my thoughts when the final whistle was blown at an emotionally-charged Croke Park last Sunday afternoon.

The outpouring of those tears of joy would have provided plenty of water for Uisce Éireann to end the drought that has hit the country for the last three weeks.

The floodgates opened when team captain Jack Coyne gave a rousing and heartfelt ‘Never Stop Dreaming’ speech as the Ballyhaunis man became the first Mayo captain since Sean Flanagan to lift the cup since 1951, when Mayo last won the All-Ireland title.

Mayo’s incredible heist on Sunday in Croke Park saw Andy Moran’s team come from seven points down after a shaky start to win by three in the end (1-20 to 1-17) as they picked up their fourth All-Ireland title at the expense of a Kerry team who were odds-on favourites to claim their 40th title.

Mayo’s victory was not incomparable to the famous Great Train Robbery of 1963 – a well-planned operation orchestrated by a band of brothers who never doubted their ability to bring home the golden chalice that has been missing in Mayo since 1951.

The Mayo manager, Andy Moran, was asked by RTÉ’s roving reporter, Damien Lawlor, if he was worried in the closing stages that Kerry just might snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, especially when David Clifford, who was well-held on the day, fired over a two-pointer which saw the gap cut to two points with four minutes still remaining.

As forthright as ever, Andy admitted that he did make a call in his thoughts to his old friend, the late John O’Mahony (or, as he called him, Johnno). Thankfully, Johnno was on stand-by to take the call.

“I did think of Johnno, who was a great friend of mine, when that late two-pointer got Kerry right back into the game, and thankfully he answered me!” said the Mayo manager.

Moran came in for his fair share of criticism in his first year as manager of Mayo but he took it on the chin, particularly after the defeat to Roscommon.

As he pointed out on so many occasions since that defeat, it was the turning point for Mayo in the 2026 championship.

“It’s not me that turned things around, it is the lads themselves. They never doubted their own ability and to be quite honest, some of our training sessions were a lot tougher than this game today,” he said.

RTÉ pundits Lee Keegan, Peter Canavan and Tomás Ó Sé agreed on a lot of things but particularly that the best team had won having tackled hard and pressed high on the Kerry defence.

It proved to be key to their success. Ó Sé couldn’t get over the physical presence of Mayo and their ability to keep a full press on the Kerry defence for most if not all of the second half.

All three pundits agreed that Ryan O’Donoghue was the leader on the pitch, playing a deep role for most of the game. The 60-yard run which set up that crucial second-half goal for Darragh Beirne, following a clever touch from David McBrien, was the moment when the game swung towards Mayo.

Claremorris man Beirne told RTÉ that he had to pinch himself to realise they had just won the All-Ireland title, especially since he thought it was a fake call from Andy Moran in the first place when he was drafted into the panel.

“Not many if anybody gave us a chance, but we knew ourselves we could do it,” said Beirne.

Asked how they managed to keep up that full court press which was the winning of the match, he put it down to Limerick hurlers.

“We watched the hurling final and saw what Limerick did to Galway in that second half. We said to each other that if we could sustain that kind of pressure on Kerry, we could win – and that’s how it panned out,” said the 20-year-old, who was part of a full-forward line which played such a key part in securing Mayo’s fourth All-Ireland title.

Lee Keegan said the energy and bravery of so many players was all part of the reason why Mayo won the final.

“From once they got a sniff of victory in the air after taking the lead, they were not going to let go, and this was a team effort with so many players turning in massive performances,” he said.

Tyrone legend Peter Canavan also praised Mayo’s bravery and hard work, again singling out Kobe McDonald for his work rate, class and intelligence.

“He is fearless and this is a young Mayo team who were allowed to play with abandon, and that is what won it for them,” he said.

But he also agreed with his fellow panellists that Ryan O’Donoghue was the leader and the heart of Mayo’s drive for Sam. Without him, they would have finished like a lot of Mayo teams have in the last 20 years – runners-up. This team did not countenance defeat.

The amazing thing about the scenes at Croke Park after the final whistle was that the crowd did not want to leave what was now becoming sacred ground. The Mayo supporters waited. Tears of joy could be seen streaming down the faces of the young, the old and those in between.

The heavy burden of the pain from 75 years of waiting had been lifted on a day that will be long remembered.

It was a joyous moment that Mayo supporters wanted, and needed, to relish, and quite a few supporters from Kerry also waited on to give due credit to a team that has come a long way in such a short time.

Kerry manager Jack O’Connor, no stranger to tough battles and big wins when it comes to All-Irelands, was magnanimous in congratulating Mayo, telling RTÉ they were the better team in the second half.

“They kept up the full press for a long time, and we found it difficult to break them down. They were the better team and deserving winners,” he said.

An emotional player of the match, Ryan O’Donoghue, said it was a day he had long waited for.

The first people he thanked were his parents, who had stood by him for years by bringing places for all over Ireland before he could travel himself.

“It is not easy when you come from Belmullet, which is a fair distance to travel to anywhere, but I have to thank my parents for what they have done for me,” he said.

And, without doubt, I think the people of Mayo would like to thank him and his team for the work they have put in and the joy they have brought to their supporters.

They have deservedly reaped the rewards of their hard work, and credit must go also to Andy Moran and his backroom team, who put so much work into getting this team back on track after they lost to Roscommon.

As the team captain, Jack Coyne, said when he lifted the Sam Maguire Cup: “To everyone across Mayo and our diaspora around the world: never stop dreaming. To the people of Mayo, this victory belongs to you.”