Mayo 0-16 Kerry 1-12:THESE FOOTBALL counties create a peculiar chemistry. Mayo have been left bruised and emotional after recent All-Ireland championship clashes with the Kingdom, but seem to have the Indian sign on their old rivals on these overcast days of spring.
When Austin O'Malley launched a huge shot in the 73rd minute to try to win this tussle for his county, the hungry home crowd were stunned but not quite surprised to see it fall perfectly over Diarmuid Murphy's crossbar. It was one of those days.
The prospect of an upset rippled through McHale Park after Kerry's Bryan Sheehan, having scored with conspicuous class from all the others, missed by far the easiest of his six free-kick attempts after 68 minutes.
Mayo had worked desperately hard to stay in the match and sensed this was the half chance that had eluded them throughout this tough early season.
Conor Mortimer chanced a distant effort that tailed wide in the 70th minute but it was O'Malley, whose four points from play were all spectacular, that launched the killing shot from 40 metres.
The hoots of unconfined joy that greeted its success told of the local importance of this victory.
Coming in a week when two immense Mayo football men, David Brady and Kevin O'Neill, called it quits, this was an important statement by the new generation in a time of fading expectations.
Not for the first time, the drama sparked a minor pitch invasion in McHale Park. Reports of the death of football in Mayo are premature.
So for the second time in this league, the All-Ireland champions have had their eyes wiped on the dance floor. They took a sickening sucker punch up in Donegal on the opening night and looked to have the experience to edge this tight game. Their manager, Pat O'Shea, nodded soberly afterwards but accepted the latest setback in a fashion that suggests he won't be losing too much sleep.
"I thought in the first half we had a good score up. But we conceded 16 points and it is difficult to outscore that. We tried hard and kept going and if Brian had kicked that free - it's normally bread-and-butter stuff for him - we would have been in a nice position.
"But then Mayo would have been disappointed if they didn't come away with something. In the last five or six minutes we turned the ball over probably four times and you can't keep doing that and expect to win games."
We learned little new about Kerry here. Marc Ó Sé was affronted by conceding two glorious points to Conor Mortimer in the first 10 minutes and made certain the Shrule livewire only registered from frees after that.
Pádraig Reidy was in tremendous form at left corner back but was one of three Kerry defenders to end up on a yellow card and it may be worth testing how shipshape the fullback line is by means of the high ball this summer.
Tomás Ó Sé continues to suggest he is not only one of the best backs in the country but may be one of the best forwards too. He stroked two classy points from play here and has quietly become the puppet master on this side.
Anthony Maher became the first Duagh man to line out for Kerry since the 1960s; he is big, skilful, composed: typical Kerry.
Darren O'Sullivan showed he is more than just a speed merchant.
Darragh Ó Sé entered the arena after 45 minutes, did a terrific Jonah Lomu impression by running over Trevor Howley (who bounced back more gamely than certain English rugby men of yesteryear) and seemed to enjoy his midfield scrap with young Tom Parsons. The daddy of them all will have a big say this summer.
But these league days are useful proof to other counties that Kerry are mortal and can be beaten.
They made mistakes here - O'Malley's winner came from a sequence of play that began when Kieran Donaghy gave a stray handpass, a rare occurrence.
Mayo had a shocking beginning, when Tomás Ó Sé floated that old reliable, the high ball, down on the Mayo fullback line. Terrors of All-Ireland finals past visited every Mayo mind as the ball plummeted to earth. Darren O'Sullivan snatched possession and was fouled in the square and Sheehan nailed the penalty on 50 seconds.
The gods are cruel.
"It was a nightmare start," said Mayo selector Kieran Gallagher. "A nightmare. We had a couple of points back on the board straight away and I was delighted with how we responded. Things just weren't running well for us on the pitch.
"The mood in the camp or the work ethic never dropped but it was nice to get a bit of a reward.
"We're building all along and it is nice to see what we are doing in training coming out onto the pitch."
It was a bright day for substitute Parsons, Kieran Conroy had an impressive game in the company of Donaghy and local lad Tom Cunniffe gave a fine display at corner back. Mayo looked more substantial with Ronan McGarrity operating at midfield, the half-back line was strong and Trevor Mortimer got through spades of hard work.
The surprising aspect was that Mayo murdered Kerry in claiming breaking ball around the middle of the field during the last 15 minutes. And even if the old failing of blowing promising attacks is an ongoing affliction, they were rewarded for their persistence.
Austin O'Malley has been the hero of other league victories only to languish on the bench when summer arrived. He might get his shot this championship because if this match was suggestive of anything, it was that the old order has all but disappeared.
There may be more bite to Mayo in the championship than people fancy just now.
Kerry will absorb this loss and move on, remorseless and insatiable. In fact, they might just win the league.
MAYO: D Clarke; T Cunniffe, K Conroy, L O'Malley; D Heaney, T Howley, K Higgins; J Gill (0-1), R McGarrity; P Gardiner, A Dillon (0-2 frees), T Mortimer; C Mortimer (0-7, 5 frees), A O'Malley (0-5, 1 free), A Moran (0-1). Substitutes: C Boyle for L O'Malley (40 mins), T Parsons for J Gill (53 mins), P Harte for A Dillon (67 mins).
KERRY: D Murphy; M Ó Sé, T O'Sullivan, P Reidy; T Ó Sé (0-2), T Griffin, A O'Mahony; M Quirke, S Scanlon; D Walsh, E Brosnan (0-1), A Maher; D O'Sullivan (0-3, 1 free), K Donaghy (0-1), B Sheehan (1-5, pen 5 frees). Substitutes: D Ó Sé for D Walsh (45 mins), D Bohane for A Maher (63 mins), K O'Leary for E Brosnan (69 mins).
Referee: M Hughes (Tyrone).
