The future's bright, the future's Mayo. Despite what happened in the senior final afterwards, the achievements of this current crop of Mayo minors should warm the hearts of the county over the winter months. Enda Gilvarry's team, have been a joy to watch this summer, playing with free-flowing abandon and ruthless streak. In the six minutes either side of half time, they kicked 2-4 to set up Mayo's first win the All Ireland minor championship since 1985. There were young heroes all over the field, with David Kenny, Eddie Doran, Michael Hall and Stephen Coen all leading from the back. While you couldn't ask for much more from the full-forward line, who contributed 2-8 between them, with Tommy Conroy and Darragh Doherty grabbing 1-2 each, with Liam Irwin kicking four points from frees.
Mayo were the better team from the word go and while the Tyrone doggedly stuck with them in the early stages it had much to do with Mayo moves breaking down as they tried to work out how to get around Tyrone's defensive set up. Ronan Nugent opened the scoring with a fine point after he barrelled down through the heart of the Mayo defence after a minute of play. The game was levelled up by Liam Irwin who pointed a free after Darragh Doherty was hauled to the ground out near the Cusack Stand. Lee Brennan put the red hand men back into the lead a couple of minutes later as both sides tried to get to grips with each other.
Irwin brought the sides level for the second time after a quick free from Diarmuid O'Connor saw Doherty fouled again as he tried to work a scoring chance close in. Ronan Nugent and Irwin traded points as the game passed the ten minute mark as both sides continued to try and figure each other out. The Ulster men hit a little purple patch of form and pushed themselves into a two point lead with 23 minutes on the clock thanks to points from David Mulgrew and Ruairí McGlone. Irwin cut the gap back to a point, shortly afterwards and just before the break Mayo struck gold for the first time from the boot of the young man who goes by the name 'goals', Tommy Conroy. The Kiltane attacker found won the ball from a break he worked hard to create, then cut a gap for himself before driving the ball into the top corner of net despite the best efforts of Seán Fox in the Tyrone goal. Conroy's goal sent the huge Mayo crowd into raptures. Tyrone did respond with a Conor McKenna point before the break, but the tide was firmly behind Enda Gilvarry's men at the turn around.
Conor Loftus who was a ball of energy all day, kick started the second half with a fine effort which was quickly followed by a Darragh Doherty point after Michael Plunkett and Liam Irwin forced a turn over of the ball close to goal. Tommy Conroy kicked a close range point after Mayo won the kick-out from the previous score and Doherty finished sharply after Liam Irwin won back possession of the ball close in.
Five minutes into the half Mayo hit their second goal that all but sealed the win, Stephen Coen won the ball in his own back-line passed it off to Diarmuid O'Connor who returned the ball to Coen who had continued his run, before he played in Doherty who drove the ball home to the back of the net.
That goal, shook some life into Tyrone who replied by rolling off four points on the bounce with Lee Brennan kicking two, Philip Donnolly and Daire Gallagher getting the scores to leave Mayo leading 2-8 to 0-10. Conor Loftus steadied the ship finishing off a move started by Coen and ended up with Doherty laying the ball off to the Crossmolina man to apply the finish. Tyrone responded with two points from in short succession with McShane and Brennan getting the scores, to cut the gap back to only three points and set Mayo nerves jangling as the game entered its final stretch.
But Mayo pressed on again and they won a free out on the right close to the sideline. Liam Irwin took on the shot and saw his effort come back off the post. But Tommy Conroy reacted quickest and scooped the ball over the bar. Conor Loftus kicked a point three minutes from time after Michael Hall had made a surging run from his wing-back station to keep Tyrone at arms length as the clock ticked down towards the end. Conor McKenna kicked Tyrone's last point not long after Loftus' effort, but Mayo were not for turning. Conor Byrne and Tommy Conroy landed scores, with Byrne's in particular a sublime effort from under the Hogan Stand to put Mayo six clear. There was one final kick in Tyrone when Conor McKenna got a paw on a long ball to put it past Mark Mulligan. But it was to little to late and the final whistle sounded shortly after to seal Mayo's first minor championship win in 28 years.
Mayo: M Mulligan, E Doran, S Cunniffe, D Kenny, M Hall, S Coen, S Conlon, V Roughneen, D O’Connor, C Loftus (0-03, 1f ), M Plunkett, P Prendergast, D Doherty (1-02 ), L Irwin (0-04, 4f ), T Conroy (1-02 ).
Subs: C Byrne for Doherty, H Cafferty for Plunkett
Tyrone: S Fox, C Byrne, R Quinn, C McCann, S Hamill, C Morris, P McGirr, R Nugent (0-02 ), F Burns, D Mulgrew (0-01 ), C McKenna (1-02 ), R McGlone (0-01 ), L Brennan (0-04, 3f ), D Gallagher (0-01, f ), S McGrath.
Subs: C McShane (0-01 ) for McGlone, P Donnelly (0-01 ) for McGrath, M Lynn for McGirr, C O’Donnell for Gallagher
Referee: C Lane (Cork ).
