Don’t mention the hype
No sooner had the final whistle sounded on Saturday then the talk turned to the prospect of Mayo supporters going crazy and how that might affect their team’s chances in the final.
On television, Lee Keegan, Peter Canavan and Brian Fenton each asked one question of Andy Moran, with Fenton referencing “the lack of hype coming into the semi-final”, the inference being that there will be no lack of it from here on in.
Later, Moran bristled when asked a similar question, labelling it “bullsh*t”. He probably had a point when you considers that his side beat Louth just days after – in one of the all-time classic prematch acts of tomfoolery – a Mayo Garda sergeant staged a phoney arrest of a leading Louth footballer. On camera.
A lighthearted video released on social media by the An Garda Síochána Louth account, with surprisingly snazzy production value, depicted Garda Ronan Loftus – a native of Burrishoole who won a National League medal in 2001 and played alongside Moran – “arresting” Louth star Ciaran Byrne and locking him in the back of a Garda van.
Inside Gaelic Games: The weekly GAA newsletter from The Irish Times
Dublin’s Ciarán Kilkenny announces his retirement from intercounty football
Mayo’s changing of the guard reaps rewards: Five things we learned from the GAA weekend
Great teams win. It is what we expect, even when the victories look different
Loftus then whips off his Garda jacket to reveal a Mayo jersey, giving a fist pump to the camera. Hype? What hype!
Kindly draw
Have Mayo had an easy run to this All-Ireland final? If we’re to take final league placings as a reliable ranking system – and of course, that’s not an exact science – then the answer is yes.
To date, Mayo haven’t beaten any of the sides who finished in the top six in Division 1 this year – in fact, they only played one (Roscommon) and lost.
The current league structure was introduced in 2008. On only four occasions in the intervening period has a team reached the final without having seen off a top-six league side at some stage in their championship campaign.
In 2020 and 2011, Dublin reached the decider without facing a side who had played top-flight league football that spring. Mayo did likewise in 2016.
King of the quip
The astute Eamonn Fitzmaurice was a busy man on punditry duties over the weekend, appearing on television on Saturday and radio on Sunday. The All-Ireland-winning manager is a natural media performer, balancing insights with a sense of fun and a neat turn of phrase.
Exhibit A came with 15 minutes to go in the Mayo v Louth semi-final.
“Fintan Kelly from the Davitts club is being introduced, cousin of Colm Boyle, so the DNA is good,” suggested Marty Morrissey.
“The fact Colm is a selector, are you suggesting a bit of nepotism there Marty?” responded Fitzmaurice.
“Not at all! Just showing that the DNA is there Eamonn,” said Marty.
The following day, on radio, Fitzmaurice proffered a new phrase, suggesting the Kingdom would try to “still the Hill”. Nice.
Golden opportunity
Kerry goalkeeper Shane Murphy kept a third successive clean sheet on Sunday but his journey to this point has been far from straightforward.
Murphy came through the Kingdom underage ranks but found his path blocked by Kilcummin clubmate Brendan Kealy, who was not only the incumbent senior intercounty custodian but also an All Star in 2015.
Murphy transferred to nearby Dr Crokes in early 2016. An unfortunate injury to another All-Star goalkeeper, Shane Ryan, has opened the door for Murphy who, at 33, has earned positive reviews.
He played his seventh championship match of 2026 on Sunday having had just six senior appearances for his county before this season.
In words
“I met a lot of elderly people and they were disappointed they couldn’t watch Kerry playing.” – Seven-time All-Ireland winner with Kerry Jack O’Shea waded into the free-to-air football debate speaking alongside Dublin’s Keith Barr in a radio vox-pop ahead of Sunday’s semi-final.
In numbers: 28
The number of two-pointers Ryan O’Donoghue has kicked in championship football. The Belmullet Bullet raised three orange flags against Louth.
