Sensational Roscommon produce performance for the ages to stun Mayo

Roscommon 2-25

Mayo 1-18

Connacht Senior Football Championship Semi-Final

It doesn’t get much better than this.

For a generation of Roscommon supporters, going to Castlebar to play Mayo was the equivalent of getting a tooth removed at the dentist.

Not anymore, as the Rossies completed their hat-trick of victories against Mayo in MacHale Park, adding to the memorable successes in 2019 and 2023.

But this was the most stunning triumph of the lot. This was sensational — the Primrose and Blue taking their hosts to the cleaners by outscoring them by 1-17 to 0-7 in the second half.

The scoring blitz, and the manner of it, was scarcely believable.

Roscommon had only scored 1-1 after 24 minutes. By the time Darragh Heneghan was wheeling away after scoring his side’s second goal in the 63rd minute — his side’s last score — the visitors were out the gap.

Diarmuid Murtagh led the way with 1-10. In the second half, Colm Neary — who kept tabs on Mayo’s two most influential players, Conor Loftus and Kobe McDonald — Senan Lambe, Ronan Daly, Keith Doyle, Dylan Ruane, Enda Smith and Darragh Heneghan played like men possessed.

All this without the suspended Daire Cregg, the tranche of experience removed from the dressing room by last season’s retirees, and the St. Brigid’s players, apart from Conor Carroll, that lit up last year’s season's championship.

Roscommon’s opening half performance was average. They made a number of unforced errors, but, crucially, were very much on contention at the break.

In others words, they were where they needed to be.

Conor Loftus found space on the right to get the scoreboard going for Mayo, and further points followed from Paddy Durcan, Jordan Flynn and Kobe McDonald to catapult the home side four points ahead inside eight minutes.

Then came a reprieve for the visitors in the 11th minute. Moments after Diarmuid Murtagh cracked a shot off the butt of the post, Robert Heneghan picked off Rob Hennelly’s resultant kickout, passed to his cousin Darragh who teed up Murtagh for the simplest of finishes.

Some Roscommon patience with possession resulted in Darragh Heneghan making inroads for the equaliser after 14 minutes.

At this stage, Conor Loftus was running the show for Mayo and his second point of the afternoon — a replica of his first point — edged his side back in front.

A lapse in concentration from a Roscommon free resulted in a breach, allowing Ryan O’Donoghue to convert the more straightforward of two-pointers.

McDonald added a lovely individual point, but Murtagh replied for Roscommon and went on to add a free to leave his side trailing by 0-8 to 1-3 after 25 minutes.

Then Mayo struck for their only goal — Loftus doing brilliantly to play in Ryan O’Donoghue who found the net with ease. When the Belmullet player added a free shortly afterwards, Mayo were six points to the good and in danger of putting some daylight between the teams.

But that didn’t happen. Enda Smith and Murtagh replied for Roscommon but there was a major let-off in the 31st minute when Bob Tuohy blazed over when the net looked destined to ripple.

Dylan Ruane, Murtagh and Rob Heneghan troubled the scoreboard before half time and even though McDonald grabbed his third point of the half, a 1-11 to 1-8 deficit was manageable from a Roscommon perspective with the wind to come in the second half.

What subsequently transpired will go down as one of the best 35 minutes of football produced by any Roscommon team, at any grade.

Neary set the tone with a score within 35 seconds of the restart. A two-pointer from Murtagh — Roscommon’s first of the afternoon — followed to get the visitors back on level terms.

But Roscommon didn’t stop there, pulverising Mayo on their own kickout. It was a case of “hammering the hammer” as a Keith Doyle boomer was sandwiched between a couple of points by Smith.

Much of the heavy-lifting from a Mayo perspective was left to Kobe McDonald in the second half, and the young talent responded with a brilliant effort, selling two dummies before splitting the posts.

But he had precious little help around him as Roscommon went at full throttle, going for the jugular.

Every point seemed as good as the one that preceded it as Murtagh, Darragh Heneghan (2), Ruane (2), Doyle and substitute Conor Hand landed scores that typified a team laden with confidence — backing themselves to deliver on this day.

A two-point free from McDonald to reduce the gap to seven points briefly ignited some hope among the “Green and Red” that they could launch a comeback.

But Darragh Heneghan’s coup the grace with seven minutes remaining left Roscommon supporters “walking on sunshine”.

Another ambush in Castlebar — the most deadly of the lot — had been staged. The Connacht final can’t come quickly enough.

MAYO: R. Hennelly; J. Coyne, R. Brickenden, E. Hession; S. Callinan, C. Loftus (0-2), P. Durcan (0-2); B. Tuohy (0-1), D. McBrien; J. Carney (0-1), R. O’Donoghue (1-4, one 0-2 free, two frees), J. Flynn (0-1); C. McHale, A. O’Shea, K. McDonald (0-6, one 0-2 free). Subs used: T. Conroy for McHale (half-time), D. McHugh for Brickenden (41 mins), F. Boland for O’Shea (44 mins), M. Ruane (0-1) for Tuohy (44 mins), C. O’Connor for Loftus (57 mins).

ROSCOMMON: C. Carroll; C. Keogh, E. McCormack, P. Gavin; E. Ward, R. Daly, S. Lambe; K. Doyle (0-2), C. Ryan; D. Ruane (0-3), E. Smith (0-3), C. Neary (0-1); D. Murtagh (1-10, one 0-2, one 0-2 free, two frees), D. Heneghan (1-3), R. Heneghan (0-1). Subs used: P. Carey (0-1, one free) for Keogh (50 mins), C. Hand (0-1) for R. Heneghan (51 mins), R. Dolan for Lambe (57 mins), S. Cunnane for Ryan (59 mins), N. Higgins for D. Heneghan (68 mins).

Referee: D. Coldrick (Meath).