Andy Moran remembers former Mayo players and managers
Mayo senior football team manager Andy Moran. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
By Cian O'Connell
Seventy five years is a long time. So, Andy Moran knew the significance of this cherished Mayo triumph.
It was a sweet Sunday afternoon at Croke Park for followers of the Green and Red. In the post match media briefing a totemic figure in Connacht football, John O'Mahony, had already been referenced.
Moran wasn't forgetting those who contributed to the Mayo GAA story. "Great people," Moran remarked.
"Even last night I was thinking Donie Vaughan, Liam McHale, guys that have suffered, not only losing, real heartache in All-Ireland finals and blame for a lot of it.
"I just hope that today brings a bit of peace to them guys. I'm waiting for it to give me a bit of peace, but I'm sure on Wednesday and Thursday, I think I'll settle.
"I'm just so grateful for all the players that have played, all the managers that have managed us over the last 75 years. We're just the lucky ones that have got over the line."
Mayo fell seven points behind in the first quarter following an early David Clifford goal. Character had to be demonstrated. "Absolutely, when David rounds Jack Livingstone and puts the ball in the back of the net, of course there's doubts," Moran remarks.
"Donnacha (McHugh) was probably struggling for the first 15 and then has the most outstanding game, from my point of view, for the next 55.
"I think there was two massive moments. David McBrien comes up, like you're on about leadership, gets his first point in Championship history.
"Not only today, he's only scored two goals up to this point and he gets a hand pass over the bar. Then, Jack Carney does what he's done all year and kicks a two. Then Ryan kicks a two and now we're at five. All of a sudden, we were probably three points down and now the game has turned."
Mayo were bringing chaos. "Ryan starts pressuring, our press starts working and yeah, it's funny," Moran adds.
"We always thought, like last year, I remember having a great conversation with Stevie O'Hanlon in Monaghan. Stevie was top class basketballer and I said, 'Is the two more valuable in Gaelic than it is in basketball?' And he said, 'absolutely'.
"He said, “you go from three to two in basketball, you go from one to two in Gaelic football. So the two-pointer was huge and we knew we had the shooters to hit them and they hit them today."
