Mayo Must Confront Past Ghosts Against Kerry in All-Ireland Final
Conor Mortimer has warned Mayo that the ghosts of 2004 and 2006 cannot simply be parked at the gate of Croke Park on Sunday – they have to be used.
The former Mayo forward, who lived through those bruising All-Ireland final defeats to Kerry, believes the only way Andy Moran’s side can rip up the script against the raging favourites is to attack the Kingdom from the very first whistle.
Old scars, clear lessons
Mortimer was on the field when Mayo were blown away in those two finals. Under John Maughan in 2004, they trailed by eight points after 25 minutes and eventually went down 1-20 to 2-09. Two years later, with Mickey Moran in charge, it was even more ruthless: Kerry smashed in 2-04 in the opening 13 minutes and cruised to a 13-point win.
Those starts still sting, and Mortimer sees a clear pattern.
"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.
Last year’s final only sharpened his view. Kerry tore into Donegal, racing into a 0-13 to 0-04 lead before the 20-minute mark. The game was effectively done before halftime. Mortimer fears the same script if Mayo sit back and “settle” their way into the contest.
"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."
No room for deference
Mortimer’s message is blunt: Mayo cannot allow Kerry to dictate terms.
"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."
He expects Mayo to be aggressive around the middle third, to scrap for breaks and feed their inside forwards early and often.
"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."
The scale of the task is obvious. Kerry arrive as heavy favourites, chasing a 40th All-Ireland title at Croke Park. Mayo, for all their modern-era consistency, are still hunting just their fourth Sam Maguire and a first since 1951.
History is lopsided too. Mayo have managed only six wins in 30 championship meetings with Kerry. There is, however, a sliver of recent encouragement: their last clash ended in a Mayo victory, 1-19 to 0-17 in a round-robin tie in 2023.
Take Kerry to the wire
If Mayo are to upset the odds, Mortimer believes they must drag Kerry into deep water.
"I'd like to see Kerry tested in the last 10 minutes," said the Shrule-Glencorrib man.
He trusts Mayo’s resolve if the game is still alive down the stretch.
"I would expect that Mayo would have enough if it's tight going into the last [stages].
"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."
One matchup looms large in his mind. Paudie Clifford, man of the match in the semi-final against Dublin, cannot be given the same freedom.
"You'd expect Mayo to be a lot, lot tighter on Paudie [Clifford, man of the match] than Dublin were in the semi-final."
Mortimer’s verdict, though, is not neutral. He backs his county, cautiously but firmly.
"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 a county that has carried decades of near-misses and heartbreak, that’s the challenge laid out: learn from the scars, storm the start, and see if, this time, Kerry are the ones feeling the pressure when the clock turns red.
