In a game without substantial implications, NFL Division One hosted a spectacular finish between Monaghan 1-14 and Mayo 2-13 at St Tiernach’s Park. Mayo completed a successful campaign with a fourth win, with the decisive saving moment coming from Rory Byrne, denying Monaghan’s Joel Wilson the chance to secure their victory. This all occurred despite Mayo having an additional player for over 50 minutes owing to the dismissal of Andrew Woods from the Monaghan team during the 22nd minute.
Mayo had to rally from a deficit in the final quarter but eventually overcame Monaghan, who were already confirmed for relegation. Monaghan were given a boost in the game’s 65th minute by a goal from substitute Kevin Loughran and seemed set to achieve only their second win of the season, even in the absence of key players like Jack McCarron and Conor McManus.
However, a rash of injuries in the second half reduced Monaghan to just 13 players, allowing Mayo to end the game on a high note. Matthew Ruane’s goal at the 66th minute equalised the score for the final time. Under the guidance of Kevin McStay, Mayo maintained the momentum in the finale, with Ryan O’Donoghue (free) and a rejuvenated Pádraig O’Hora securing their triumph.
The first half ended with Monaghan in the lead, primarily due to a far-reaching scoring from Micheál Bannigan, counteracting the early surge of Mayo led by a Darren McHale goal. Unfortunately, Mayo’s performance declined in the subsequent period, managing only a solitary free goal from Aidan O’Shea in the 27th minute. Monaghan’s resilience following the loss of McHale’s goal and Woods’s red card dismissal in the 22nd minute was noteworthy.
Just after scoring a goal, the team playing at home rapidly accumulated three points from Bannigan (two from frees) and a superbly executed mark by Ciarán McNulty, equalising the match for a second time at the 19-minute mark.
However, following Woods’s red card, the team from Monaghan reacted to the challenge by executing a few long-distance attempts by Seán Jones and Bannigan. This saw them claim the lead by half-time.
After half-time, the home team expanded their lead thanks to impressive scores by Jones and David Garland (a mark), pushing themselves three points ahead. They maintained this position over Mayo till the final five minutes.
However, the visiting team managed to capitalise on their numerical advantage ultimately. The team will now turn their focus to a Connacht championship quarter-final against New York happening in a fortnight.
The MONAGHAN squad included: D McDonnell, R Wylie, C Lennon, R O’Toole, K O’Connell (0-1), K Lavelle, C McCarthy, G Mohan (0-1, mark), D Hughes, C McNulty (0-1), M Bannigan (0-4, 0-2f), D Ward, A Woods, S Jones (0-2), and J Irwin (0-2).
Substitutes were: D Garland (0-2, 0-1f, 0-1 mark) for Ward, K Loughran (1-0) for Lavelle (both introduced at 33 mins), B McBennett (0-1) for Jones (47th minute); C Leonard for Mohan (51st minute); M McCarville for Leonard (55th minute); J Wilson for Hughes in the 64th minute.
The visiting team, MAYO. included: R Byrne, E O’Donoghue, R Brickenden, P O’Hora (0-1); S Callinan, J Coyne, S Coen; M Ruane (1-2), D McBrien; D McHale (1-1), E Hession, P Durcan; T Conroy, A O’Shea (0-1, f), and R O’Donoghue (0-5, 0-5f).
In the game, M Plunkett was substituted for Callinan at the 23rd minute. C O’Connor, who scored 0-2, including a free kick and a mark, came on for McBrien during half-time. Later, F Boland (securing 0-1) replaced Durcan, and J Carr took the position of E O’Donoghue both at the 47th minute. B Tuohy was brought on for O’Shea when 60 minutes into the game had passed. The referee for the match was N Cullen from Fermanagh.