Both climactic matches of the weekend resulted in ties, but the final games in the All-Ireland groups produced a clear set of victors and casualties. Connacht champions Galway and finalists Mayo found themselves among the losers, both vying for leading positions in their respective groups and entailing automatic qualification to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
During their final game last year, both counties lost their opportunity to win in their groups in the final moments, a scenario which repeated itself this past Sunday. In Hyde Park, Mayo had a once-in-a-century occurrence to compete against Dublin on All-Ireland’s western side of Shannon.
The extraordinary and intense competition between the teams, which reignited their rivalry that has defined the game in the last decade, involved them exchanging equal scores all through the match. With the game nearing its end, Ryan O’Donoghue secured a free, which he converted with wind to his advantage.
The All-Ireland winners needed to succeed at the restart, and Ciarán Kilkenny did exactly that with an impressive catch amid the situation. They successfully passed the ball through Jack McCaffrey and Colm Basquel, creating an opportunity for the man of the match, Cormac Costello, who managed to balance the scoreline despite a slip.
Kevin McStay, the Mayo manager, applauded Dublin as an excellent team. He expressed disappointment at the prospect of a prelim, but felt optimistic about the change in mood from the previous year, owing to the match being held at home. The significance of topping the group was made clear: it offered a two-week break while steering clear of other group toppers.
Mayo put on a solid and tenacious display. The team suffered a heavy defeat against Dublin in the last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final and were barely beaten by Galway in the Connacht final. Tragedy struck their captain, Paddy Durcan, who injured his cruciate during the group match against Cavan.
Facing numerous challenges, they appeared as a textbook example heading into this match. Last year saw them travelling to Galway, albeit an experience that wouldn’t repeat this time. However, the immense effort to win had a toll on their performance against Dublin a week later. With the upcoming game being a home event this year, McStay believes in a favourable outcome.
“If we compete at this standard, there’s a strong likelihood we’ll make the quarter-final via the qualifiers. That’s my anticipation, but managing this week will be critical. We’ve accumulated a bit of know-how in this respect.” This was the perspective of the Connacht champions, Galway’s manager, as they dominated nearly 60 minutes of the match against Armagh. Over the past couple of years, these counties have clashed notably, with outcomes decided either on penalties or by a single point.
In this encounter, Galway looked set for a decisive win, with a five-point lead at the 58th minute. Yet, the subsequent four minutes turned out to be catastrophic. By the 62nd minute, Armagh had turned things around to lead by one, scoring an uninterrupted seven points—four of them straight from the opponent’s kick-out. “This was the first goal we’ve conceded from a short kick-out during my tenure. It was a deciding factor,” mused a despondent Padraic Joyce.
Despite Armagh’s comeback, Galway didn’t capitulate. However, despite gaining a slight lead within injury time, they were unable to retain it during the final minute.
Armagh’s manager, Kieran McGeeney, no stranger to closely contested decisions, was undeniably elated. “Finishing in first place is the primary objective. The manner of achieving it doesn’t matter to me—it only matters that we did. Period. Overjoyed at this outcome, especially because we underperformed in the opening half—static and lacking energy. Galway controlled the ball adeptly, forcing us to exert ourselves. We improved in the second half and topping the group was a significant achievement for us—allowing us a fortnight to consolidate.
However, his counterpart, Pádraic Joyce, was faced with a rerun of last year’s disappointment—as his team’s inability to secure a draw jeopardised their quarter-final hopes. “It is somewhat crushing that we didn’t secure the desired result. As it is, the boys put in a commendable performance. They executed much right but failed at delivering a decisive score. The top teams—not only maintain their lead but extend it. A strategy we didn’t implement successfully. Respect to Armagh—a formidable side, which is well acknowledged.”
“We performed admirably, albeit with a twinge of disappointment that we failed to secure the game with a single point advantage.”