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2025 Allianz Football League Division 1 Final – Kerry 1-18 Mayo 1-12

March 30 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Kerry defeated Mayo by 1-18 to 1-12 in the Allianz Football League Division 1 Final on Sunday March 30th at Croke Park.

Match Highlights

Allianz FL D1 Final: Kerry too strong for Mayo

KERRY 1-18 MAYO 1-10

Report By John Harrington at Croke Park for GAA.ie

A superior Kerry team in all facets of the play proved too strong for Mayo in today’s Allianz Football League Division 1 Final.

Jack O’Connor’s team never hit top gear themselves, but they still won this game comfortably enough.

Their ability to win clean possession off their own kick-outs compared to Mayo’s struggle in this department was one of the key factors in their victory.

They also won some key battles that tilted the balance of power their way. Joe O’Connor dominated the in-form Mattie Ruane in the middle of the field, Paul Murphy did a great man-marking job on Ryan O’Donoghue, and the Clifford brothers gave the Kingdom a cutting edge that Mayo just didn’t possess.

David was unusually profligate by his very high standards kicking five wides, but he still landed four points from play and won another four frees that were pointed also.

Elder brother Paudie was arguably even more influential. He won a huge amount of possession and knitted play together beautifully with his ability to carry the ball when required and bring team-mates into the play with clever, accurate passes, when that was the percentage play.

You thought that when Mayo scored a goal and a two-pointer in the space of a second-half minute to reduce the deficit to three points that we might have a game on our hands, but they coughed up some poor turn-overs and could generate no further momentum as Kerry coasted comfortably to victory down the home straight.

Winning with relative easy while all the time looking like they had a lot more in the tank bodes well for a long championship summer for Jack O’Connor’s team.

It took Kerry just 11 seconds to open the scoring. Joe O’Connor won the throw-up and started a move that he finished with a sweet right-footed finish.

Mayo responded three minutes later when the lively Aidan O’Shea hit the first of what would be three first-half points form the Breaffy man.

Frank Irwin nudged Mayo ahead before Paul Geaney pointed after a pass from the livewire Paudie Clifford who was quickly becoming one of the dominant personalities of the first half.

Mayo looked like they were starting to get a grip of the game when Jack Carney and Aidan O’Shea kicked two points in quick succession, but they then sustained a real sucker punch by conceding a soft goal.

Colm Reape’s short kick-out was intercepted by the alert David Clifford who quickly off-loaded to his onrushing brother Paudie.

The elder Clifford drew the cover and then popped a pass to Geaney who palmed home from close range.

First Half Goal by Kerry’s Paul Geaney

From then on Kerry started to take control, thanks mainly to their ability to hoover up possession from Mayo’s kick-outs.

Joe O’Connor and Barry Dan O’Sullivan were dominating the skies and Paudie Cliford in particular was doing really well to pick up breaking ball.

That gave Kerry the platform to send well judged deliveries into David Clifford who had the beating of his marker Donnacha McHugh and won two frees in quick success that he pointed himself.

Ryan O’Donoghue responded with a free for Mayo, but the Belmullet man was having little influence in open play.

After Barry Dan O’Sullivan kicked another point for Kerry they nearly had their second goal of the match when Graham O’Sullivan was put through but side-footed his shot just past the left post.

O’Shea kicked his third point of the half but it did little to slow Kerry’s momentum as Paudie and David Clifford (2) kicked points that pushed Kerry six points clear.

Mayo did have the last say of the half – a Jordan Flynn point – but didn’t look in great shape when the half-time hooter blew and they went to their dressing-room trailing by 1-9 to 0-7.

They really needed Ryan O’Donoghue to give them some impetus in attack and it looked like he might when he scored the first point of the second-half but that would prove to be his only score from play.

Kerry responded with points from O’Connor, David Clifford (2) and Paudie Clifford and would have scored a goal too had Colm Reape not made a brilliant save from Micheál Burns.

Just when it looked like Mayo were fading from the game, they generated a much needed surge of adrenalin when Eoghan McLaughlin struck for a goal against the run of play.

Put through by Paul Towey, he finished low and hard to the bottom right-hand corner. Within a minute O’Donoghue landed a two-point free from outside the arc, and now Kerry only led by three, 1-13 to 1-10.

Tony Brosnan and David Clifford settled any jangling Kerry nerves, and after Paul Towey landed a point for Mayo the game became scrappy and disjointed as neither team managed a score for another eight minutes until Paul Geaney flighted over a free.

It was downhill from there to the final whistle for Kerry with late points from Conor Geaney and David Clifford adding a late flourish to the scoreline.

And so Gavin White became the first man to lift the newly minted Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh Cup. How fitting that it should be a Kerry footballer.

Post Match Reaction by Kerry Manager Jack O’Connor

Scorers for Kerry: David Clifford 0-8 (4f), Paul Geaney 1-2 (1f), Paudie Clifford 0-3 (2 45), Joe O’Connor 0-2, Barry Dan O’Sullivan, Conor Geaney, Tony Brosnan all 0-1.

Scorers for Mayo: Ryan O’Donoghue 0-5 (2f, 2ptf), Eoghan McLaughlin 1-0, Aidan O’Shea 0-3, Frank Irwin, Paul Towey, Jordan Flynn, Jack Carney all 0-1

KERRY: Shane Ryan; Paul Murphy, Jason Foley, Dylan Casey; Gavin White, Mike Breen, Brian Ó Beaglaoich; Joe O’Connor, Barry Dan O’Sullivan; Micheál Burns, Paudie Clifford, Graham O’Sullivan; David Clifford, Paul Geaney, Dylan Geaney.
Subs: Tony Brosnan for Dylan Geaney (46), Sean O’Brien for Barry Dan O’Sullivan (49), Tom O’Sullivan for Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Conor Geaney for Micheál Burns (both 54), Killian Spillane for Graham O’Sullivan (66), Ruairí Murphy for Paul Geaney (70)

MAYO: Colm Reape; Jack Coyne, Donnacha McHugh, Enda Hession; Sam Callinan, David McBriwen, Stephen Coen; Jack Carney, Matthew Ruane; Eoghan McLaughlin, Conor Reid, Jordan Flynn; Aidan O’Shea, Frank Irwin, Ryan O’Donoghue.
Subs: Darren McHale for Conor Reid (33), Paul Towey for Frank Irwin (42), Davitt Neary for Jordan Flynn (45), Adrian Phillips for Colm Reape (54), Diarmuid O’Connor for Stephen Coen (63),

Ref: David Coldrick

Team News

KERRY V MAYO, NFL (Sunday, 4pm): Shane Ryan (Rathmore); Paul Murphy (Rathmore), Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue), Dylan Casey (Austin Stacks); Gavin White (Dr Crokes, capt), Mike Breen (Beaufort), Brian Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht); Joe O’Connor (Austin Stacks), Barry Dan O’Sullivan (Dingle); Micheál Burns (Dr Crokes), Paudie Clifford (Fossa), Graham O’Sullivan (Dromid Pearses); David Clifford (Fossa), Paul Geaney (Dingle), Dylan Geaney (Dingle)
Subs: Shane Murphy (Dr Crokes), Conor Geaney (Dingle), Damien Bourke (Na Gaeil), Tony Brosnan (Dr Crokes), Tom O’Sullivan (Dingle), Armin Heinrich (Austin Stacks), Ruairí Murphy (Listry), Killian Spillane (Templenoe), Evan Looney (Dr Crokes), Cathal Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht), Mark O’Shea (Dr Crokes), Tom Leo O’Sullivan (Dingle).

MAYO (v Kerry): C Reape; J Coyne, D McHugh, E Hession; S Callinan, D McBrien, S Coen; J Carney, M Ruane; D Neary, D McHale, J Flynn; A O’Shea, F Irwin, R O’Donoghue

Match Preview

Details

Date:
March 30
Time:
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Event Category:

Venue

Croke Park

GAA Units

Clare GAA
Cork GAA
Kerry GAA
Limerick GAA
Tipperary GAA
Waterford GAA
US GAA