The long wait is over for Mayo who ended their trophy famine at Croke Park by winning the Allianz Division 1 league tie after a pulsating victory over Kerry. Having lost ten finals at headquarters – seven All-Ireland deciders and three league deciders – Mayo finally got over the line when they continued their dominance over Kerry, though it wasn't until Ciaran Treacy's 74th-minute goal that their fans could relax. By the time Treacy's goal sealed the issue, Mayo were down to 14 men after Aidan O'Shea was sent off just before the end of normal time by referee Fergal Kelly after picking up a second yellow card. For once the Saw Doctors' the Red and Green of Mayo was played over the Croke Park PA at the end of a national final as Mayo captain and Man of the Match Diarmuid O'Connor, who scored 1-2 from play, received his award. Though Kerry nearly snatched it at the death when only a brilliant save from Rob Hennelly denied David Clifford a goal, Peter Keane's side could have no complaints. They did score two first-half goals but were overwhelmed in the second half, though it was a mistake from goalkeeper Shane Ryan which handed Mayo a crucial 65th-minute goal. But the starting Kerry forward line only managed 1-2 from play whereas their Mayo counterparts managed 1-7. It was Mayo's 12th league crown and their first since 2001 while the loss extends Kerry's poor record at Croke Park – they haven't won at headquarters since the 2017 All-Ireland quarter-final. Mayo left former first-choice goalkeeper David Clarke out of their their match-day squad. Former League of Ireland goalkeeper Michael Slingerman was their sub-goalkeeper. Kerry peppered Hennelly in the early exchanges with an aerial bombardment but he coped comfortably with the challenge, though he did miss a 45 and a long-range free at the other end. It was the Kerry defence who were more pressurised in the early exchanges, even though they flooded the sector with 13 players whenever they surrendered possession. Twice in the opening ten minutes Mayo created decent goal-scoring opportunities but failed to avail of either. After seven minutes a terrific three-man movement involving Darren Coen, Lee Keegan and Donal Vaughan split the Kerry defence. The latter found himself clear of the cover but Kerry goalkeeper Shane Ryan saved brilliantly. Three minutes later Mayo again exposed Kerry's rearguard with another three-man move involving team captain Diarmuid O'Connor, Keith Higgins and Kevin Ruane but the rookie midfielder, who had scored the winning goal when the sides clashed in the league, took the safe option and fisted the ball over the bar to give his side a 3-1 advantage. But the difference between the sides was underlined in the next 15 minutes. Firstly David Clifford out-fielded his marker Brendan Harrison and jinked his way through on the left before transferring across the face of the goal to the unmarked Gavin Crowley, who blasted the ball to the net. An enforced error from the under pressure Harrison – he picked the ball off the ground – gave Sean O'Shea a simple free chance to extend Kerry's advantage to two points (1-2; 0-3) after 16 minutes. The increasingly influential Clifford opened his account with an 18th-minute point and although Jason Doherty replied for Mayo, Kerry struck for a second goal after 26 minutes. Dara Moynihan linked up with Stephen O'Brien who waltzed through a spread-eagled Mayo defence before driving past Hennelly. There was only one more score in the half and once again it emphasised Mayo's lack of a clinical edge. Shane Ryan miscued his kick–out – he coughed up three during the first half – and Fergal Boland was through but after being pushed out to the right he opted to fist the ball over the bar. So after an enthralling first half played in bitterly cold conditions before an attendance of 44,257, Kerry led 2-3 to 0-5 at the break with Mayo left to rue their failure to convert any of their three goal chances. Interestingly, during their seven league matches Kerry had only managed four goals – two of which came in their last match against Roscommon – but they had the ball in the Mayo net on three occasion in the first half – an effort from David Clifford was correctly disallowed for a push on Chris Barrett. Mayo upped the ante considerably at the start of the second half, pressing up on Shane Ryan's re-starts and winning the first two. And the possession won nearly provided rookie corner-forward James Carr with a never-to-be-forgotten cameo at the Canal End. He did score two points, one from a mark, and only the brilliance of Shane Ryan denied him a goal after a miscued Kerry restart and given him the opportunity but he delayed a fraction which allow Ryan to position himself to stop his effort with his foot. Stephen Coen did point from the rebound to leave a point between the sides after 39 minutes. But Kerry steadied the ship scoring the next three points, two via Sean O'Shea frees to extend their advantage to four points. However, every time Mayo ran at Kerry they exposed gaps in their defence and midfielder Matthew Ruane took advantage, taking a pass from Darren Coen and easily rounding Jack Barry before planting the ball low past Shane Ryan to leave it a one-point game with 22 minutes remaining. Kerry's scoring rate from play had completely dried though. An O'Shea free kept the scoring ticking over though by the 54th minute they had withdrawn three of their starting forwards, Dara Moynihan, Kevin McCarthy and Tommy Walsh. All the momentum was now with Mayo with Diarmuid O'Connor hitting a point but they had appeals for a penalty turned down after James Carr went down under pressure in the penalty area and then a shot from Jason Boland struck the upright. But they could not be denied and after Peter Crowley had cynically stopped Lee Keegan's run into the square, Jason Doherty tapped over the free and Diarmuid O'Connor gave them the lead for the first time since the 13th minute with his second point form play. As the excitement mounted Kerry midfielder Jack Barry pointed to level the game again with less than ten minutes left to play. Rob Hennelly saved Mayo with a brilliant take from under his crossbar. From the resultant play Mayo went through endless phases before a Lee Keegan speculative effort towards the Kerry goal. Goalkeeper Shane Ryan made the mistake of advancing off his line and Diarmuid O'Connor managed to get his fist to the ball and direct it into the empty net in the 65th minute to give his side a three-point advantage. Paul Geaney pulled a point back for Kerry in the 69th minute to keep the tie alive and as the game ticked into lost time, Rob Hennelly made an incredible save from David Clifford with with Colm Boyle completing the clearance. Despite their superior experience, Mayo were guilty of kicking away possession and David Clifford gave Kerry renewed hope with his second point from play in the 73rd minute. Mayo managed to secure possession from Hennelly's subsequent kick-out and the ball was worked to veteran Andy Moran who used all his guile to hold up possession before slipping it to unmarked substitute Ciaran Treacy who belied his inexperience to drive the ball past Shane Ryan for the assurance goal. From Ryan's restart a melee broke out and after the warying factions were separated Kerry midfielder Diarmuid O'Connor was red carded. The final whistle sounded afterwards to signal Mayo's long wait for a national title was finally over. Kerry: S Ryan, P Crowley, J Sherwood, G O'Sullivan; G Crowley (1-1), P Murphy, T O'Sullivan; J Barry (0-1), D O'Connor; D Moynihan, S O'Shea (0-5, 5f), S O'Brien (1-0); D Clifford (0-2), T Walsh, K McCarthy Subs: J O'Donoghue for Moynihan ht. J Foley for Sherwood, M Griffin for McCarthy 41m; P Geaney (0-1) for Walsh 54m, G O'Brien for Crowley 66m<doc-sep>Mayo manager James Horan believes his side's Allianz Football League title success can inspire them to greater things. The Green and Red ended a ten-game run of winless finals at Croke Park today, beating Kerry 3-11 to 1-10 to sit top of the pile in spring for the first time in 18 years. It's Sam Maguire that the Connacht men really want however, and Horan, who has finally won a national title in his first season back in charge, suggested there would be a big psychological boost from finally getting over the line. "I think it’s big," he told RTÉ Sport. "We’re absolutely delighted to win a national title. "I think that game today, if we were as effective as we should be, we could have won by 10 to 12 points to be honest. We just about got over the line. "I’m sure a bit of nerves came into it but to win one is significant for that group, there’s no question about that. It might be a springboard if we use it correctly. "There are some guys out there who have given 15 years to try and win something significant. I'm absolutely delighted for them today. "Tom Parsons jumped the fence there at the end, and Ger Caff (Cafferky) and some of these guys who have soldiered for a long time. "I suppose what’s refreshing for us as well is we used 35 or 36 different players in the league. Nine or ten new players who had never played before. So it was a huge panel effort. That makes it a little bit more special, that it wasn’t just a 15 or 16 – it was a big group." Mayo trailed by four points at half-time 2-03 to 0-05 but dominated after the restart, hitting three goals themselves through Matthew Ruane, Diarmuid O'Connor and Ciaran Tracey. "The goals we gave away were very slack," said Horan. "They were from two kick-outs – we didn’t press very well from the kick-outs, their midfield was very strong pace-wise, so they opened us up for those. We had four goal chances in the first half, I don’t think we went for any of them. "We knew there were goals in that game for us and thankfully in the second half we got them. "There were three or four in a row where we just ran into their cover when a shot was on or an opportunity to recycle, we kept doing some daft things so that was a bit frustrating. But it was very calm at half-time. There was a bit of a breeze there and it does make a difference in how you play. We’d a good idea of what we needed to do, we kept the pressure on. "At the start of the second half we got scores very quickly and we had four or five waves of attack where we had three or four players and we butchered them. To win it eventually in the end, it’s great for us but, yeah, lots to look at." Rob Hennelly (L) and Jason Doherty celebrate with fans Horan expects Cillian O’Connor, Cian Hanley and Seamus O’Shea to play for their clubs next month and isn't ruling out a summer return to action for long-term injury victim Parsons. He also praised the performance of Rob Hennelly, who was a surprise replacement for David Clarke in goal. Hennelly had a few nervous moments against Kerry but made a crucial save to deny David Clifford a goal late on. "We’re in a very strong position with our goalkeepers. David Clarke has been excellent in the last few few years. "We played Dublin here a few weeks ago and were very poor but Rob was the outstanding player on the field that day. He’s on the right track, getting better and better." We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences<doc-sep>IT WAS AN afternoon to remember for Mayo fans. For those who made the trip to Croke Park, they will have watched James Horan’s men produce a resilient display to come from behind and beat an up-and-coming Kerry side. A first national title in 18 years has sparked excitement in supporters around the country. With Dublin looking off colour and the Westerners twice getting the better of the Kingdom – could this be Mayo’s year? Relive some of the best images from today’s game. Lee Keegan celebrates after the trophy presentation. Source: James Crombie/INPHO Mayo's captain Diarmuid O'Connor lifts the trophy. Source: James Crombie/INPHO Ciaran Treacy celebrates a score. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO David Clifford reacts to his late goal chance miss. Source: James Crombie/INPHO Be part of the team Access exclusive podcasts, interviews and analysis with a monthly or annual membership. Become a Member Diarmuid O'Connor punches a goal for Mayo. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO Stephen O'Brien celebrates scoring Kerry's second goal of the game. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO Andy Moran with his son, Ollie. Source: James Crombie/INPHO Mayo fans in Croke Park savour victory. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO Aidan O'Shea holds aloft the league trophy. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO The Mayo team celebrate. Source: James Crombie/INPHO Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:<doc-sep>
Mayo produced a superb second-half comeback to pip Kerry to the Allianz Football League Division 1 crown at Croke Park. Trailing 2-03 to 0-05 at half-time after goals from Gavin Crowley and Stephen O’Brien, they hit back with three green flags of their own after the break. Matthew Ruane and then Diarmuid O’Connor rippled the net and they led by just a single point in injury-time before Ciaran Tracey put the result beyond doubt. Mayo’s 12th league triumph and first since 2001 hadn’t looked likely early on. Sean O’Shea opened the scoring from a free but Mayo replied through Fergal Boland and Paddy Durcan to take the lead by the 10th minute. Keith Higgins then set up Ruane for a fisted score, one of three times the Connacht men opted to take their point rather than go for goal in the opening 35. Kerry had no intention of playing it safe though. In the 13th minute, David Clifford was allowed to wander infield and along the edge of the Kerry square before laying it off to Gavin Crowley, who sold a perfect dummy before drilling an angled shot past Rob Hennelly, recalled in place of David Clarke. Mayo fans might have been forgiven for thinking it was 2016 all over again as Hennelly didn’t have the best of halves. The Breaffy man flapped a shot out for a 45, missed two attempts from 45s himself and punched an attempted clearance straight up in the air that Clifford sent back over the bar. Jason Doherty got off the mark with a fine off-balance effort to make it 1-03 to 0-4 on 24 minutes before Kerry, their full-forward line tossing the ball around like the Harlem Globetrotters, struck again. Dara Moynihan picked out Stephen O’Brien, who scorched straight up the middle, leaving Higgins bamboozled, before planting a low shot past Hennelly. Mayo did have a goal chance just before the interval as Boland gathered a fine knockdown from O’Connor and sidestepped ‘keeper Shane Ryan, but he opted to take his point when faced with a tight angle and a defender back on the line and they went in four points behind. Mayo started the second half with intent, scoring three in a row in a row to rouse their fans, who far outnumbered their Kerry counterparts. James Carr got two points on his first start and was only denied a goal by Ryan’s outstretched leg – Darren Coen popped the loose ball over the bar. Carr also had a decent shout for a penalty but Fergal Kelly seemed to think he had gone down too easily under pressure from Peter Crowley. Kerry responded with two frees from Sean O’Shea (5f on the day) and a slickly-worked move finished by Gavin Crowley, but after that it was more Trotter brothers than Globetrotter as Mayo’s half-back line cleaned up and launched wave after wave of attacks. Ruane found the net after a neat exchange of handpasses with Darren Coen, and a sweetly struck effort from the outside of Diarmuid O’Connor’s boot was the first of three unanswered points before Jack Barry drew Kerry level in the 61st minute – 2-08 to 1-11. Then a hammer blow – Lee Keegan lofted in a high delivery and captain O’Connor beat Ryan and O’Shea to the ball and flicked it to the net. Kerry weren’t done yet. Sub Paul Geaney reduced the deficit to two and O’Shea picked up his second yellow to ensure a nervy finish. Hennelly atoned for his earlier wobbles with a superb point-blank save from Clifford in the first minute of injury-time but the Fossa youngster’s second of the day – he was the only Kingdom forward to score a point from play - cut the gap to the bare minimum with the seconds ticking down. Mayo hearts were in their mouths until veteran Andy Moran picked out fellow sub Tracey with a perfect pass over the top. A majority of the 44,257 present were screaming at him to take his point but the Ballina Stephenites man coolly slotted it past Ryan to make the game safe. Kerry’s Diarmuid O’Connor was shown black and then red for a scuffle before the final whistle but it was his Mayo namesake who climbed the steps for the cup, securing the county’s first national title under returning manager James Horan. It also ends a ten-game sequence of failing to win finals at Croke Park. An omen of things to come later in the summer?