Mayo Must Confront Past Ghosts to Defeat Kerry in All-Ireland Final
Conor Mortimer has warned Mayo that the ghosts of 2004 and 2006 cannot be ignored if they are to rip up the script and dethrone Kerry in Sunday’s All-Ireland football final.
The former Mayo sharpshooter lived those Croke Park nightmares. He was there in the Green and Red when Kerry tore into them twice in three seasons, turning finals into processions long before the closing whistle. For him, the lesson is blunt: survive the opening storm or the game is gone.
Scars that still sting
Under John Maughan in 2004, Mayo were eight points down by the 25th minute. Kerry were ruthless, the contest drifting away as the Kingdom dictated every kick-out, every break, every surge. It finished 1-20 to 2-09, a scoreline that flattered Mayo more than it hurt Kerry.
Two years later, it was worse.
With Mickey Moran on the sideline in 2006, Mayo were blown away again. Kerry hit 2-04 inside the first 13 minutes, ripping holes in a defence that never got to grips with the movement and pace in green and gold. The final margin was 13 points. Another All-Ireland Sunday, another Mayo collapse under Kerry’s early onslaught.
Mortimer, who finished that 2006 championship as top scorer and earned an All-Star, hasn’t forgotten how quickly those games slipped away. Nor has he missed what Kerry did in last year’s final to Donegal.
Jack O’Connor’s side burst out of the blocks again, racing into a 0-13 to 0-04 lead before the 20-minute mark. Donegal were effectively beaten before they had settled into the occasion. The pattern, Mortimer believes, is no coincidence.
“Ultimately if Mayo are to use anything for this, I mean they look at '04, '06, and what Kerry did to Donegal last year in the first 10 minutes of the All-Ireland, it was over,” he told RTÉ Radio 1’s Inside Sport.
Hit Kerry first – or pay for it
The old advice about “settling” into a final doesn’t wash with him anymore, not when the opposition is Kerry and the stakes are Sam Maguire.
“I know people are saying about settling things down and, you know, being cool in the first period of the game, but I think for Mayo to have a real chance in this game they're going to have to take it to Kerry from the start.
“Don't give Kerry any time to implement their control of the game or the way they play, because if you let them control the ball, you're going to have a job to get it back.”
This is the crux of his argument. Kerry, when allowed to dictate tempo and possession, suffocate teams. They slow the game when it suits, speed it up when they sense weakness, and punish every turnover. Mayo, in Mortimer’s eyes, must refuse to let them settle into that familiar rhythm.
“I think Mayo are probably going to try to implement their style early on, breaking around the midfield and getting ball to them guys inside and let them do the job after that.”
Break ball. Territory. Early shots. Pressure on Kerry’s kick-out. It’s an old formula, but against this opposition, he believes it’s non-negotiable.
History, odds and a narrow path
The numbers are stacked against Andy Moran’s side. Kerry arrive at Croke Park as heavy favourites, chasing a 40th All-Ireland title. Mayo, for all their modern-day consistency, are still hunting just a fourth Sam Maguire and a first since 1951.
The head-to-head record in championship football underlines the imbalance. Mayo have managed only six wins in 30 meetings with Kerry. One of those, though, came last year – a 1-19 to 0-17 round-robin victory in 2023. It wasn’t knockout, it wasn’t September, but it was a reminder that Kerry can be rattled.
Mortimer sees a narrow path. It runs through the final quarter.
“I'd like to see Kerry tested in the last 10 minutes,” said the Shrule-Glencorrib man.
“I would expect that Mayo would have enough if it's tight going into the last [stages].”
The logic is clear. Keep it alive into the closing stretch, and Mayo’s running power, depth and sheer stubbornness might finally tilt a big day their way.
“Ultimately, it can go two ways: if it's tight, I'm going for Mayo to obviously win it.
If, on the other hand, Kerry kind of turn it on, up it a gear from the semi-final they played against Dublin, then Mayo will probably be in trouble.”
Clifford, match-ups and belief
One name looms large in his thinking: Paudie Clifford, man of the match in the semi-final win over Dublin.
“You'd expect Mayo to be a lot, lot tighter on Paudie than Dublin were in the semi-final,” Mortimer said, pointing to the need for a far more aggressive defensive plan on Kerry’s playmaker-in-chief.
Clamp Clifford, disrupt Kerry’s patterns, drag the game into a contest rather than a showcase. That’s the Mayo route he outlines, and he doesn’t shy away from a prediction.
“So look, I'm going for a Mayo win. Very, very tight.
If our young lads settle, we can certainly win the game by a point or two points.”
For Mortimer, it comes down to those opening exchanges and the final ten minutes. Avoid the early ambush that scarred a generation, stay standing when the clock hits 60, and Mayo might finally turn a lifetime of lessons into the one thing they’ve always wanted: a Kerry scalp on All-Ireland final day that actually brings Sam home.
