Donegal secured their fourth win of the Nicky Rackard Cup championship, overcoming Mayo by a margin of four points during an enthralling final at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon. Mayo had had the distinct advantage for most of the game, however a pair of goals from reserve player Josh Cronolly McGee in the last decisive quarter massively shifted the momentum in Donegal’s direction.
Everyone predicted a neck-and-neck affair, which was evident from the start as both teams got off to an aggressive start. Early points by Mayo’s John Heraty and Eoin Delaney put them in an early lead. Donegal had a shaky start, struggling to get primary possession, but soon began to claw back, thanks to successive scores by Brian McIntyre and Ruairí Campbell.
The first-half saw both teams incapable of maintaining pressure on their opponents, resulting in a battle on the scoreboard. Points from Gerard Gilmore and Liam Lavin for Donegal and Mayo respectively, led to a tie by the 14th minute. Gilmore, for Donegal, managed to add two points from placed balls, but Mayo was scoring with more ease, courtesy of Heraty and Adrian Philips.
A run of three uninterrupted points gave Mayo a crucial advantage, with notably Shane Boland, goalkeeper Bobby Douglas and Cormac Philips finding the mark. Donegal seemed on the brink of losing control, however, they produced the only goal opportunity of the first half. This came in the 28th minute with Liam McKinney making a notable run, but his low shot was skillfully blocked by Douglas.
Gilmore managed to salvage some pride by converting the resultant 65, but Donegal’s wasteful efforts in front of the goal continued. They constantly either missed the mark or failed to maintain possession, with Douglas managing to efficiently seize the ball. Mayo used these opportunities to their advantage, extending their lead by another three points thanks to Delaney, Seán Kenny and Boland. Their errors resulted in Donegal trailing 0-12 to 0-8 at half-time. In a stark contrast, Mayo’s Lavin kicked off the second half by increasing their lead with a tremendous strike.
Despite Peter Kelly’s immediate spark as a substitute, Donegal found themselves more adrift as Boland and Kenny racked up more points for Mayo. Urgently requiring a game-changing move, Donegal’s calls were answered in the 45th minute when Campbell managed to score after Gilmore’s shot fell short, highlighting his goal-scoring prowess against a stationary Douglas. Mayo managed to counter this setback with points from Lavin and the influential Boland, yet were unable to counter McGee’s remarkable shot in the 61st minute.
Though McGee’s second goal three minutes later wasn’t as visually appealing as his initial one, it was nonetheless significant, as it ensured Donegal’s control of the game during the latter phase. Donegal’s impressive line-up included White, Curran, Gillespie, Browne, McBride, O’Loughlin, McVeigh, Gilmore, O’Grady, Gartland, McKinney, McIntyre, Ward, Cullen, and Campbell. Additional substitutions included McGee for O’Loughlin, Kelly for McIntyre, Grant for Ward, McDermott for Gartland, and Doherty for Browne.
On the other side, Mayo’s team was comprised of Douglas, Kenny, Greally, Murray, Hession, Kenny, Collins, Huane, Heraty, Regan, Philips, Lavin, Boland, Philips, and Delaney, with Feeney substituting for Philips, Farrell for Heraty, and Burke for Philips. The match was overseen by Peter Owens from Down.