The morning after the morning after the 75 years before.
It’s starting to sink in for Mayo fans. Frank McNally was in Castlebar last night where fans packed the Bowery Bar to watch a rerun of Mayo’s victory over Kerry at Croke Park before tens of thousands of supporters gathered in MacHale Park to see hard evidence that the drought was over. “‘Sam for Mayo’ was finally a reality,” McNally writes.
One man’s reaction to the final whistle summed it up better than most. Shane Fitzgerald collapsed to his knees in Croke Park when the victory was confirmed. “The emotions broke,” he said. “The heavens opened and that was it.” He was far from the only one in tears as our gallery of images and videos from the celebrations show.
Stephen Rochford, the man who led Mayo to All-Ireland finals in 2016 and 2017 and coached this team last year, went through the wringer too. “Like thousands of others around me, I cried. I was at the game with my wife and three boys. It was only our second time as a family to be in Croke Park as Mayo supporters together.
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“The seven-year-old was at his first All-Ireland final and witnessed Mayo winning it. What are the chances?”
Gordon Manning spoke to one of the heroes of the hour, Kobe McDonald, at the team hotel yesterday morning. “I still find I’m pinching myself,” the 18-year-old said. The teenager, who finished his Leaving Cert a few weeks ago, will be in Australia with St Kilda by the time the results come out.
If he never plays for Mayo again, his one and done intercounty career will become the stuff of legend, writes Manning, but McDonald isn’t ruling out a return: “I’m sure there’ll be a time in the future where I’ll be home.”
Neuropsychologist Ian Robertson writes that comments from McDonald after the game offered some clues to why Mayo came out on top this time after so many final defeats.
From a tactical perspective, analyst Paul O’Brien discusses how Mayo took lessons from the NBA, Jürgen Klopp and the Limerick hurlers in how they attacked the Kerry threat. Our writers did their best to pick the highs and lows of this most incredible footballing summer in our GAA newsletter, with a consensus emerging on player of the year.
Rovers face a big task in Tallaght
Everything else has taken a back seat to the Mayo odyssey but this is a huge evening for Shamrock Rovers. The League of Ireland champions are 2-0 down from the first leg of their Champions League second round qualifier against Ararat-Armenia. There’s a guarantee of at least Conference League group stage action at stake and the prize money of more than €4 million that comes with it. Gavin Cummiskey writes that Ararat are the best team Rovers have met since 2024, while Luan Rogers outlines their rather colourful history.
Elsewhere, James Lowe confirmed his next move is to Japan and Suntory Sungoliath and France look set to turn to Zinedine Zidane to take on the national team.
The Galway Races got under way, with Martin Keown among the attendees as Derek O’Connor tasted success on board the Joseph O’Brien-trained Comfort Zone.
Daniel Wiffen and Rhys McClenaghan missed out on the medals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. However, Kate O’Connor got off to a good start in the heptathlon this morning. She is the favourite to win gold come tomorrow evening.
TV Watch
You can stream Shamrock Rovers’ clash in Tallaght on LOI TV. Kick-off is at 8pm. O’Connor will compete in several events at the Commonwealth Games (TNT Sports 8.30am-10.30pm).
The Galway Races continue (Virgin Media One & UTV, 1.30pm-4.30pm) while the snooker season kicks back into gear with a selection of the top players competing in the Shanghai Masters (TNT Sports 4, 7am-10.30am, 12.30pm-4pm).
