Three and easy for the Dubs
Mayo cruelly lose by point as the capital gains hat trick
IT’S been a 66-year wait but it wasn’t to be west with a win for Mayo yesterday.
Instead, the Boys in Blue triumphed once again and delighted Dublin GAA fans painted the capital blue in celebration last night.
While Mayo were the underdogs, they fought until the final whistle in what was a nail-bitingly close match that saw Dublin win by just a point.
It took the steely nerve of Dean Rock to place the winner over the Mayo goal late on, ending in a score line of 1-17 to 1-16.
And so it was the talented men from the capital who lifted the Sam Maguire Cup in the Hogan Stand yesterday as the so-called curse of Mayo continued.
Mayo have now suffered nine defeats in the All-Ireland final since their last victory in 1951, when a curse was supposedly laid upon them by a vengeful priest.
While Mayo failed to wipe away their cursed record of 66 years without an All-Ireland victory, Dublin achieved a few milestones they can be proud of by edging out a third All-Ireland Senior Football Final in a row.
As well as their hat trick, the Dublin team have now won four All-Irelands in five seasons, making captain Stephen Cluxton the first ever team captain in 133 years of GAA history to lift the Sam Maguire four times.
Match-winning hero Dean Rock said of his crucial point: ‘Luckily I hit it well and it went over the bar, and the rest is history.’
He also paid tribute to the Mayo team after the closely contested match, telling RTÉ: ‘Mayo are very unfortunate, they’re a team of great players but they haven’t got it over the line yet, but I’m sure they’ll be back next year to put it up to us.’
A host of famous faces – representing both sides of the Dublin-Mayo divide – turned up at Croker yesterday. They included Liverpool comedian John Bishop who was pictured outside the stadium in a Mayo fan’s hat, although that may have been the work of a quick-thinking supporter of the red and green. Coronas frontman Danny O’Reilly, rugby star Rob Kearney and Dublin golfer Paul McGinley also turned up for the final.
From the world of politics, there were former taoiseach and proud Mayo supporter Enda Kenny, his Dublin counterpart, Bertie Ahern, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, and former President Mary McAleese and her husband, Dr Martin McAleese.
Dublin fans will get a chance to celebrate with the All-Ireland winners this evening as the conquering heroes will attend a special family-friendly alcohol-free event in Smithfield.
66 years since Mayo last won the Sam Maguire Cup