It’ll be a tough one to take this for Mayo, they had beaten all before them and beaten Galway twice before in the Connacht championship, but when it came to the biggest day of all Galway had their number.
Alan Glynn and his backroom team had their homework done and the were able to shut down Mayo in all areas of the field to run out six point winners in a broiling Dr Hyde Park in front of over 12,000 spectators.
Both sides could have hit the back of the net before the first point of the day arrived, Galway duo Ross Coen and Stephen Curley got in for half chances but over ran the ball. While for Mayo Niall Hurley was played in behind the cover but his shot was well saved by Kyle Gilmore.
Éanna Monaghan opened the scoring for Galway from a free after he was fouled on the edge of the D. He followed that up with another free after Mark Mannion was fouled late as he shot for a point.
Mayo got the scoreboard going through a Cathal Keaveney pointed free after Paul Gilmore had been found and then James Maheady landed a fine point from play to level the game up after ten minutes.
Monaghan and Ronan Clarke soaped points in the 11th and 12th minute and then Monaghan put his side back in front with his fourth and final point of the day just before the quarter-of-an-hour mark.
Sean Deane’s side responded through two big scores form Maheady to go into the lead for the only time in the contest just before the 20 minute mark. Fionn O’Connor levelled it up when he slotted the ball over the bar after a Colm Costello effort at goal was blocked down and then Costello got the first of five points he would gather from a free not long after to have Galway back in the lead.
Mayo had another good goal chance 22 minutes in when Ronan Clarke took the ball along the end endline and was able to get a shot away, but his effort was cleared off the line by the boot of Ryan Flaherty.
Galway stretched their lead out to three points thanks to scores in quick succession from Stephen Curley and Costello, before Colm McHale made it 0-8 to 0-6 with a long range effort for Mayo. Galway could have been further in front had Monaghan found the back of the net in injury time, but his effort went just past the post.
The Galwegians kept up up the pressure early in the second half and points from Shay McGlinchey and Costello and Galway were five clear and looking good. Mayo needed to get a few scores and the missed a number of wides and the pressure was mounting on them.
Ronan Clarke did manage to pull one back with a fine effort on 43 minutes and three minutes later he pointed a free to leave just three between the teams, but it was as close as Mayo got as Galway drove for home.
Points from Cillian Trayers, Costello, Charlie Cox and Stephen Curley had Galway seven to the good with four minutes left and the result a formality at that stage.
Ronan Clarke did pull one back for Mayo to leave six between them late on, but it was never going to be enough for them as Galway eased home to claim their seventh All Ireland minor title.
Scores
Mayo: Ronan Clarke (0-4, 2f ), James Maheady (0-3 ), Colm McHale (0-1 ), Cathal Keaveney (0-1 )
Galway: Colm Costello (0-5, 2f ), Éanna Monaghan (0-4, 3f ), Stephen Curley (0-2 ), Shay McGlinchey (0-1 ), Cillian Trayers (0-1 ), Fionn O’Connor (0-1 ), Charlie Cox (0-1 )
Mayo: David Dolan; Rio Mortimer, John MacMonagle, Lorcan Silke; Liam Maloney, Colm McHale, Paul Gilmore; Jack Keane, Luke Feeney; James Maheady, Dara Hurley, Diarmuid Duffy; Cathal Keaveney, Ronan Clarke, Niall Hurley. Subs: Oliver Armstrong, Zac Collins, Oisin Cronin, Dylan Gallagher, Sean O’Dowd.
Galway: Kyle Gilmore; Tomás Farthing, Ryan Flaherty, Vinny Gill; Mark Mannion, Cillian Trayers, Ross Coen; Jack Lonergan, Shay McGlinchey; Owen Morgan, Seán Dunne, Stephen Curley; Fionn O’Connor, Éanna Monaghan, Colm Costello. Subs: Charlie Cox, Olan Kelly, Pádraic McNeela, Luke Carr, Cian Dolan.
Ref: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh )
