Mayo Too Strong For Tyrone In Rackard Final

Saturday 31.07.2021

Tyrone 1-14 Mayo 2-27

Tyrone’s hopes of Nickey Rackard glory end in the decider at Croke Park on Saturday afternoon when despite a battling display they lost out to a superb Mayo side. 

The winners held a thirteen point lead at the interval and while Tyrone gave it their all in the second half it proved too high a mountain to climb. While the Red Hands will be naturally disappointed in defeat they can still look back on a season when they made progress and no doubt Hurling within the County continues to go from strength to strength.

Mayo opened the scoring inside forty seconds through a Shane Boland free for a lead that they were never to lose. The same player doubled their advantage before dual star Keith Higgins landed a wonderful effort from play from out on the right wing. A forty metre free from leading marksman Damian Casey got Tyrone’s challenge up and running but in the 5^th minute a mistake at the back was punished when Sean Regan fired to the net. Casey landed another free as well as a superb effort from play before Mayo responded through Boland again. 

Tyrone centre half back Chris Kearns then landed an outstanding point from distance but Mayo responded through a Higgins brace and one from Regan. In the 20^th minute Tyrone were thrown a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty but Casey was denied by a fine save from Mayo keeper Bobby Douglas. Cathal Freeman pointed from distance with Adrian Phillips, Conor Henry and Regan all weighing in with points as well. Tyrone had the final say of the opening half with another outstanding Kearns point but it was Mayo who held a commanding 1-15 to 0-5 advantage.

The second half got off to an explosive start with Casey on target twice from play with Higgins responding for Mayo all inside a minute. Tyrone missed a few chances but in the 42^nd minute they grabbed a brilliant individual goal from Conor Grogan. Freeman responded three minutes later with a goal at the other end of the field as Mayo seized control again. Bryan McGurk and Tiernan Morgan traded points with Higgins and Freeman before the latter was wide from a penalty. 

Casey and Kearns both split the posts again but Mayo were always in control with Freeman, Regan and substitute duo Jason Coyne and Oisin Greally all on target as they won with plenty to spare. 

TYRONE: Conor McElhatton; Jarlath Kerr, Dean Rafferty, Sean Paul McKernan; Lorcan Devlin, Chris Kearns, Conor McNally; Ciaran Lagan, Michael Little; Conor Grogan, Bryan McGurk, Cain Ferguson; Rory Weir, Damian Casey, CJ McGourty. Subs: Tiernan Morgan for Ferguson, Dermot Begley for McNally, Padraig McHugh for McKernan, Sean Og Grogan for Weir, Sean Donaghy for Little 64

MAYO: Bobby Douglas; Conor Daly, Michael Morley, Stephen Coyne; Gary Nolan, David Kenny, Conor Henry; John Cassidy, Sean Kenny; Cormac Phillips, Cathal Freeman, Sean Regan; Keith Higgins, Adrian Phillips, Shane Boland. Subs: Brian Hunt for Cassidy [blood], Pearse McCrann for Cassidy, Jason Coyne for Cormac Phillips, Brian Hunt for Morley, Brian Morley for Adrian Phillips, Oisin Greally for Boland