![\"Kerry's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5171983_10_articleinlinemobile_95352_3010650.jpg\" "\\"Kerry's")
Kerry’s Dylan Casey is tackled by Mayo’s Ryan O’Donoghue and Sam Callinan. Pic:\u00a0\u00a9INPHO\/Tom O\u2019Hanlon<\/p>\nAn acceptance that Kerry were going to score a goal and that it came early were key factors for Mayo, says their coach Paddy Tally.<\/p>\n
The 15th minute goal by David Clifford was almost budgeted for by the Mayo management. \u201cYou get David going one-on-one and the ball over the top, Se\u00e1nie (O\u2019Shea) put him in and the next thing David’s gone, bye,\u201d recounts Tally.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it\u2019s going to happen. We knew they were going to score a goal, David\u2019s going to score. If it happens, it happens. You just have to get back at it. The key was by half-time we’d got it back to being a one-point game and then playing with the breeze in the second half. So, we always knew that this game was going to go down to the last straight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tally was convinced Mayo would \u201cbe able to hold it out\u201d in the final moments. He put much of it down to how awkward they made it for Kerry in possession.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was built on our intensity in the tackle, our turnovers of the Kerry players coming out. We never let them get comfortable on the ball, which Kerry need to play that type of game. There was a great intensity in Mayo and I\u2019m just delighted, delighted for everyone involved.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The press carried risk but Mayo were prepared to take the gamble. \u201cThere\u2019s a reward for it,\u201d points out the Galbally man. \u201cI think that\u2019s the difference \u2013 Mayo are brave enough to go and do it. Lots of teams don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cRyan (O\u2019Donoghue) is fantastic, but he is backed up by Jordan Flynn and Enda Hession and Sam Callinan and Jack Carney and they all put their shoulder to the wheel. When you get a player turned over in the right area, you can do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a massive turnover in the first half on Paul Murphy coming out and we got the ball moving forward. Psychologically, that does two things. Number one, it gives your team a great lift, but it also makes the Kerry players think coming out \u2018Jesus, I need to move this ball a bit quicker\u2019 or that \u2018these boys are really on it today\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think some of those statement tackles in the first half laid the foundation for the performance. It wasn\u2019t the prettiest performance in the world, but it was effective and it got the job done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kerry’s Dylan Casey is tackled by Mayo’s Ryan O’Donoghue and Sam Callinan. Pic:\u00a0\u00a9INPHO\/Tom O\u2019Hanlon<\/p>\n
According to Jack Coyne from the steps of the Hogan Stand, Tally said he had only come to Mayo to win the All-Ireland but the man himself denies that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never said that. That wouldn\u2019t be something I would say, but I just knew in my head \u2018there\u2019s only one reason I\u2019m coming down here\u2019 and that was to win the All-Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the year goes on, what\u2019s the point otherwise in being involved in a team if you\u2019re not going to be successful with them? The point was always to win it. It took a bit of time getting the team right as a new management team in place, a lot of young players to be blooded into it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for the reaction to the victory, Tally likened it to Tyrone\u2019s first All-Ireland SFC title 23 years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last time I experienced that (noise) was in 2003 when we won it for the first time with Tyrone. We had never won an All-Ireland, we didn\u2019t know what it was about.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s probably similar to the Mayo people, but the thing was, they have lost 11 finals. The pain and the hurt of losing 11 finals. We never had that in Tyrone \u2013 we lost two in 1986 and 1995. I think there\u2019s an outpouring of emotion there. It was special and I\u2019m just so privileged to be a part of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tally can see Mayo challenging for future All-Irelands because of their average age of 24.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s no reason why this team can’t compete for the next number of years at the highest level.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in saying that, we know that now it changes. For years you’re hunting and hunting and hunting. Now you’ve achieved it. Have they hunger and the bite and the attitude? I think these fellas just enjoy this one and see where it takes them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An acceptance that Kerry were going to score a goal and that it came early were key factors…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608304,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[76],"tags":[233554,194555,10417,18,19,17,26710,132],"class_list":["post-608303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-all-ireland-football-final","tag-championship-2026","tag-gaelic-football","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-mayo-gaa","tag-sports"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116997965464329036","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}