Roscommon 2-09
Mayo 0-10
The Mayo juniors failed to pick up where the u21s left off back in spring and claim a Connacht title as Billy Fitzpatrick's men were undone by a more determined and classier Roscommon outfit in Carrick on Shannon on Sunday afternoon. Mayo found themselves five points behind after only five minutes a blow that they never recovered from as Roscommon hit 1-2 before Mayo had even settled themselves in for the game in the sunshine. Clement McCormack got things underway with a point from play before man of the match Donal Warde finished off a swift move encompassing almost the length of the park to joy of the large Roscommon crowd in attendance. Their second point was applied through the boot of Paul Garvey as Mayo looked all at sea.
It took Mayo ten minutes to find their range through the foot of James McAndrew after some neat link up play involving Damien Burke and Marcus Hannick. The Killala man then got on the scoreboard himself when McAndrew returned the favor putting Hannick in the clear down the left. But rather than stir Mayo into a comeback, it mearley poked the Roscommon wasps nest and the primrose and blue county hit back with three swift points of their own, all from the boot of the impressive Ronan Cox inside a five minute spell. And Paul Garvey added on another with five to go before the break. Mayo did cut the gap back to six with four minutes to go before the break with a score from James Rafter from distance, but that was all they could muster as Roscommon went in leading by 1-6 to 0-3 at the turn around.
Rafter and Martin Reynolds exchanged scores just after the break, before Mayo hit their purple patch and looked to be making a game of it. Hannick finished off a nice move involving Dermot Costello and Kevin Carty on six minutes, then Hannick again hit the target after winning a long ball in from Damien Burke. Hannick then made it three from three on 39 minutes when he drifted a free from 35 m over the black spot. But rather than push on and close the gap even more, Roscommon put into action a flowing move up the right hand side of the field. Ronan Cox bore down on goal but his effort hit the foot of the right hand post, it rebounded into the arms of the waiting Paul Garvey who drove it to the back of the net with aplomb.
That score really killed the game off, but Mayo didn't throw in the towel and kept plugging away, Kevin Costello marked his introduction with a score seconds after entering the fray. Damien Burke cut added on another score for Mayo, but the clock was against them as well as the heat. Darren McDermott kicked a point for Roscommon, with Fintan Ruddy landing a point for Mayo from 45' with seven minutes to go. McDermott had the final say on the scoreboard with a fisted effort as the game wound down and Roscommon claimed he title for the second year in a row.
So for another year and Billy Fitzpatrick's 19th in charge the Mayo junior sides dream ended in the sunshine in Carrick on Shannon for 2009.
Mayo: Fintan Ruddy; Ollie Feeney, Derek O'Dea, Colm Cafferkey; Dermot Costello, Kevin Carty, Alan Feeney; Francis Burke, James McAndrew; John Healy, Colm Forde, Marcus Hannick; Damien Burke, Martin Keane, James Rafter. Subs: David Kilkenny for Healy; Kevin Costello for Forde; Alan Egan for Burke
Roscommon: Mark Miley; Kevin Kilcline, Mark McLoughlin, Stephen Ormsby; Eamon Towey, Niall Carty, Donal Warde; Paul Freeman, Martin Reynolds' Clemet McCormack, Paul Garvey, Martin Guilford; Ronan Kelly, Ronan Cox, Derek Moran. Subs: Senan O'Grady for Guliford, Darren McDermott for Moran; Brian Mullen for McCormack; Eamon Bannon for Donal Warde; Ultan Kelly for Ronan Kelly.
Ref: Frank Flynn (Leitrim )
