Roscommon overhaul Mayo at the death to win dramatic Rackard Cup
Trailing by four points in the 68th minute of a rollercoaster game, it looked as if Roscommon were set for another loss to Mayo after National League and Rackard Cup group game defeats.
But points from substitute Ben McGahon, joint captain Conor Mulry and Eoin Kiernan tied the game, laying down the platform for Mulry to snatch the winning score with just seconds of stoppage time remaining.
It was a dramatic ending to an exciting game that swung back and forth though Mayo, the Division 3 champions and pre-match favourites, will kick themselves for letting victory slip through their hands.
Aside from coughing up that late advantage, they also blasted 20 wides over the 70 or so minutes as they slipped to agonising back-to-back final defeats.
Sean Canning, Robbie Fallon and Mulry all finished with 1-02 each for Roscommon who have fought back superbly in the competition after losing their opening game to Mayo and drawing their next match.
Roscommon operated in Mayo's slipstream in their previous two meetings, losing that group opener by seven points and conceding 3-25 when they met in the league.
Both of those games were in Castlebar admittedly though it looked as if things may go a similar way at neutral Croke Park.
Mayo were 0-09 to 0-03 ahead at the end of the opening quarter and dominating proceedings.
With a near patent on possession, they racked up point after point and Tooreen's Liam Lavin helped himself to three of the scores.
Eoghan Collins drilled one over too and then set up Eoin Delaney for one of his two scores as Ray Larkin's side turned the screw.
The only concern for Mayo was all the wides they were also tallying with far too many chances squandered.
They finished the first-half with a whopping 11 wides and another couple of point attempts that dropped short.
Roscommon seemed to draw energy from Mayo's difficulties and suddenly came roaring into the contest in the second quarter.
They outscored Mayo by 2-5 to 0-2 between the 19th minute and half-time to take an unexpected three-point half-time lead, 2-8 to 0-11.
Canning tortured Louth in his previous outing for Roscommon, striking a hat-trick of goals in that final round group game, and blasted 1-02 during the blitz.
It was his fourth game in a row to score at least one goal and he posted notice of his blistering pace with an earlier point after a speedy solo run.
Canning's 28th minute goal was a trademark powerful strike, coming at the end of a darting run in from the left.
Brendan Mulry's goal in stoppage time was more fortunate as he went up to contest Conor Cosgrove's long delivery and smiled as the sliotar deflected in off him.
Collins drew a great save from Roscommon goalkeeper Enda Lawless after the restart as Mayo chased scores.
Shane Boland, football star Fergal's brother, clipped two points to help reduce the gap to three after 45 minutes, 2-11 to 0-14.
Mayo had the deficit down to just one with under 20 minutes to go but were rocked by Roscommon's third goal from full-forward Robbie Fallon.
An amazing game still had a couple of crucial turns to take.
Mayo once again wrestled control of the game, reeling off 1-05 without response to take that three-point lead, 1-21 to 3-12, thanks in part to Eoin Delaney's 57th minute goal.
But just as Mayo seemed certain to get their hands on the silverware, they had it whipped from their grasp in the form of four Roscommon points in a row and that dramatic Mulry winner.
Roscommon: Enda Lawless; Adam Donnelly, James Dillon, Mark Ward; Micheal Hussey, Conor Cosgrove (0-01, 0-01f), Darragh Finn; Eoin Fitzgerald (0-03), Jack Donnelly; Finn Killion (0-01), Conor Mulry (0-02), Cian Murray; Sean Canning (1-02), Brendan Mulry (1-02), Robbie Fallon (1-02, 0-02f).
Subs: Liam Og Coyle for Killion 47, Ben McGahon (0-02, 0-01f) for Hussey 50, Jack Dowling for Murray 54, Ryan Conlon for Fitzgerald 58, Eoin Kiernan (0-01) for Fallon 62.
Mayo: Bobby Douglas (0-01); Connor Murray, Oisin Greally, Conal Hession; Simon Thomas, David Kenny, Eoghan Collins (0-01); Danny Huane (0-02), Shane Boland (0-06, 0-03f); Cormac Phillips, Ryan Duffy (0-01), Liam Lavin (0-04); Kieran McDermott (0-01), Eoin Delaney (1-03), Joe Burke.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
9 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Players call on GAA to drop Allianz as sponsor after Occupied Palestinian Territories report
A number of prominent GAA stars have handed in an open letter and petition to management at Croke Park, calling on the association to drop Allianz insurance as a sponsor for GAA games. Close to 800 current and former players from Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and ladies' football signed the petition, which was handed over at GAA HQ in Dublin and received by an official there. The open letter to Ard-Stiúrthóir of the GAA Tom Ryan calls on the organisation to demonstrate its commitment to its principles and to international humanitarian law. The players are calling on the association to end its association with Allianz, after the insurance company was among a series of companies listed in a report by UN special rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese. Allianz Insurance was listed in the report published in June this year on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the UN as being among companies and corporations Ms Albanese said were involved in sustaining and paying for Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories. Among those signing the petition is former Meath footballer, manager and commentator Colm O'Rourke. "Sometimes the right thing costs money but in this case it is the least of what we should do. I think all club members should be made aware of what is happening in their name because of the sponsorship of the competition. "GAA members probably aren't that aware of this. When they do become aware they will want the link with Allianz to be broken once and for all," he said. "If it means that we don't have a sponsor for the National League Competition, so be it," Mr O'Rourke added. He said he hoped the GAA would review its position and do so quickly. Former Dublin GAA footballer Kieran Duff was also among those at the protest who had signed the petition. A number of players travelled to Dublin for the protest and around 70 people took part in the protest. "Some action has to be taken. We're a small little country. This is our national game and if the GAA can't stand up and call them out, what hope has anyone got? The emphasis has to be that people go back to their clubs and push it further," Mr Duff said. A petition for all GAA members is being published on calling on people to bring motions to their own clubs and seeking a new sponsorship provider. Barrister and former Derry Ladies GAA player Nodlaig Ní Bhrollaigh helped co-ordinate the protest. "The facts cannot be ignored and it really is up to the GAA now to do human rights due diligence and I don't think they'll come to any other conclusion other than they'll have to do what the report recommends and to end their relationship with Allianz," she said. Other well-known signatories of the letter include former Dublin footballer and retired transplant surgeon Dr David Hickey, who spoke at the event, saying that the GAA and Croke Park was place that epitomises the soul, culture and historical experience of the Irish people. Neil McManus, Peter Canavan, Tomás Ó Sé, Joe Brolly, Shane McGuigan, Niall Cahalane, Terence 'Sambo' McNaughton, Michael Darragh McAuley, Aoife Ní Chasáide, Jane Adams, Brendan Devenney, Greg McCartan, Sorcha Gormley and Danny Sutcliffe have also signed the petition. The UN report found that as a global insurance company, Allianz invested large sums in shares and bonds implicated in the occupation of Palestinian territories. The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to follow and report on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In a statement, Allianz said: "Our long-standing partnership with the GAA is about supporting Irish sport and communities. "Allianz Ireland is part of a global group, and while the wider group operates internationally across insurance and investment, as a matter of principle, we do not comment on individual customers or business matters. "What we can say is that all Allianz business decisions are guided by strict legal standards and world-leading ESG (environmental, social and governance) principles."
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
John McGrath still in the dark about his topsy-turvy Tipperary form
You'll remember it as the National League game in March between Tipperary and Kilkenny, when four players were sent off. For John McGrath, that Division 1A encounter, which Tipp won, had an entirely different significance. It was exactly 12 months to the day since he'd previously started a competitive game for Tipp and the goal poaching inside forward was desperate to show Liam Cahill something, anything, to turn his head. McGrath scored two points against Kilkenny but was replaced with 20 minutes to go and didn't feature at all in their last two league games, one of which was the final. Closing in on his 31st birthday, and with a couple of seasons of indifferent form behind him, a period punctuated by injuries, he was sailing close to yesterday's man territory. Five months on from that Kilkenny game, Tipp are All-Ireland champions again and McGrath is in the conversation for the Hurler of the Year award. Good luck trying to convince a player who has just found his missing mojo that he might be as well off bowing out on a high now. PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month for July in hurling, John McGrath of Tipperary, with his award at PwC offices in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile "After the year that's just gone by, I'd be mad to be going anywhere," smiled McGrath, the PwC Player of the Month for July in hurling. He ended up starting all eight of Tipp's Championship games and returned 7-16, including 2-2 in the final whitewash of Cork. Getting the nod for the Munster opener against Limerick was a surprise at the time but he repaid Cahill's faith with 2-1. "When Liam came to me and said they were going to put me in, I put a huge emphasis on that game then, just for myself," revealed McGrath, who was aware he hadn't started a Championship game since 2023. "I probably made it out in my own head to be a lot bigger than the first round of a Munster championship. Maybe that was just what I needed at the time. I got the opportunity for the frustration I had built up, to let it off and just release it." McGrath still has a lot of unanswered questions about it all. Like why he was jettisoned for those last two league games. "I did okay that day against Kilkenny, without being really threatening, but I did okay," he reckoned. And, generally, why had he suddenly struggled to do things which came so easy earlier on in his career? He was a two-time All-Ireland medallist, from 2016 and 2019, and an All-Star after all. The Achilles injury that he picked up in the summer of 2022 was a serious one and naturally halted his gallop but, if he's honest, a rot had set in even before that. "I've had my head wrecked thinking about stuff like this for a long time," he said. "I remember before Covid kind of started, I felt as good as I ever had. Really, really good. I enjoyed the club campaign when it kicked off that year. I remember then going back to play the inter-county championship later that year and it was like I was carrying two blocks around with me. Just for no apparent reason. "I don't know what you can put it down to. We would have played a lot of club games but it didn't seem to affect other guys to the same extent. The trend kind of continued for a little while that I was still having quite good club campaigns but at times I felt miles off the inter-county stuff, in terms of just being a yard or two slower, chasing everything and I was just constantly under pressure." He still isn't any the wiser about why things went south, before suddenly pivoting and trending northwards again this summer. "I've no real sliding doors moment or any one or two things I could put it down to," he shrugged. "I wish I knew, it would be great." He's back on the club beat now with Loughmore Castleiney, championship games in both hurling and football already under the belt since Tipp's season ended. There'll probably be another All-Star award to pick up shortly. He wasn't sure if he'd see these days again. He is grateful to Cahill, for trusting him as he did when there were other options available for the Limerick game. And for steering Tipp back from the brink generally over the last 12 months or so when the world and his mother were blaming the bainisteoir for apparently training his teams too hard. "It's easy to throw different narratives out when things aren't going well," said McGrath. "I think players and management, everyone just kind of looked inside themselves first and foremost. And everyone came back with the right attitude, that there was no one blaming or second guessing anyone else. We knew we had good people and the right people to fix the wrongs of our performances in the previous few years."
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Ashvir Singh Johal confident he can lead Morecambe back to the Football League
New Morecambe manager Ashvir Singh Johal has vowed to take the club back to the Football League. Singh Johal became the first Sikh to take charge of a professional British club when he was named as the Shrimps' new boss on Tuesday. The 30-year-old replaced Derek Adams, who was sacked on Monday, just a day after new owners Punjab Warriors completed the takeover which saved the club from extinction. Morecambe Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Ashvir Singh Johal as the Club's new First Team Manager. The full interview will be available at 09:30 🎥#UTS 🦐 — Morecambe FC (@MorecambeFC) August 19, 2025 Singh Johal, who was a first-team coach under Kolo Toure at Wigan and also worked with Cesc Fabregas at Como, has a hefty in-tray, starting with building a squad as he currently only has five players under contract. Morecambe, who were relegated from Sky Bet League Two last season, have had their first two National League games postponed after being suspended for failing to comply with the league's rules. Singh Johal is due to be in the dugout as Morecambe are scheduled to open their campaign against Altrincham, though that game could also be in doubt given the club's current lack of players. Despite the uncertainty of the immediate future, the new boss is looking to the long term. 'The immediate priority right now is going to be to identify the players that we need in this building to ensure Morecambe Football Club can perform well in the National League,' he said in an interview with the club's official website. 'I think the short-term plan this year is to make sure that we retain our place in the National League by playing exciting, energetic football and working hard. I think that is a short-term aim. 'The long-term aim is to build the processes, the infrastructure. There's a clear commitment from the owners about the direction they want the club to go in. 'OK, now it's about building, and it's about growing and making sure that in three, four, five years' time, this is a completely energised and galvanised more football club that thrives in the EFL.' Morecambe were saved from extinction following the takeover by Punjab Warriors (Richard Sellers/PA) At 30, Singh Johal, who never played professional football and worked his way up the coaching ranks with a 10-year stint at Leicester, is one of the youngest coaches to earn the UEFA Pro Licence. On becoming a first-team manager for the first time, he added: 'It's what I've wanted to do. It's been my dream since I was 14 or 15 years old. 'It's every single day that's been the target I've worked towards. But for me, now there's a new target, and the target is to make sure Morecambe is successful as a club. 'Make sure this year we don't just survive in the National League, we thrive.'
