Mayo Must Overcome Past Ghosts to Defeat Kerry in All-Ireland Final

Conor Mortimer has warned Mayo that the ghosts of 2004 and 2006 must shape their approach if they are to rip up the script against Kerry in Sunday’s All-Ireland final.

The former Mayo sharpshooter knows exactly how brutal Kerry can be on the biggest stage. He lived it. Twice.

Old scars, clear warning

In 2004 under John Maughan, Mayo were eight points down by the 25th minute. The game was drifting away long before the final whistle of a 1-20 to 2-09 defeat.

Two years later, it was worse. Kerry detonated the contest in the opening 13 minutes, rattling in 2-04 and never looking back. Mickey Moran’s Mayo ended up on the wrong side of a 13-point hammering.

Mortimer, who finished as top scorer in the 2006 championship and collected an All-Star that year, still sees those starts as the defining moments. Kerry didn’t just win. They seized control early and never handed it back.

He also points to last year’s final as a fresh reminder of what happens when you let the Kingdom dictate terms. Kerry blitzed Donegal, storming into a 0-13 to 0-04 lead before the 20-minute mark. The contest felt decided long before half-time.

“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,” Mortimer told RTÉ Radio 1’s Inside Sport.

‘Take it to Kerry from the start’

For Mortimer, all those finals point to one blunt conclusion: Mayo cannot afford a cautious opening.

“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.”

The message is simple: chaos, not calm. Mayo must impose their own identity before Kerry slip into their 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.”

That midfield battle, that scramble for breaks and quick delivery inside, is where Mortimer believes Mayo can rattle the favourites.

History, weight and a heavy favourite

Kerry arrive at Croke Park as strong favourites to lift a 40th Sam Maguire. It is the kind of statistic that underlines their dominance and Mayo’s burden.

Andy Moran’s side, by contrast, are chasing just their fourth All-Ireland title and a first since 1951. The weight of that drought hovers over every Mayo final, every big moment, every missed chance.

The historical head-to-head does not offer much comfort either. Mayo have won only six of 30 championship meetings with Kerry. One of those, however, came in their most recent clash: a 1-19 to 0-17 round-robin win in 2023. A small foothold. A reminder that Kerry are not untouchable.

Drag Kerry into the deep water

Mortimer believes Mayo’s path to an upset runs through the closing stretch.

“I'd like to see Kerry tested in the last 10 minutes,” said the Shrule-Glencorrib man.

He wants the game alive, tense, and undecided when legs are heavy and decisions fray.

“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.”

That Dublin semi-final still lingers as a warning. Kerry found another level, and when they do that, very few live with them.

Clifford, match-ups and belief

One matchup looms large in Mortimer’s mind: how Mayo handle Paudie Clifford, the man of the match in that semi-final win over Dublin.

“You'd expect Mayo to be a lot, lot tighter on Paudie than Dublin were in the semi-final,” he said, underlining just how costly any freedom for the Kerry playmaker could be.

Yet for all the caution, Mortimer’s instinct is optimistic.

“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 Mayo, it is a familiar stage with familiar scars. For Mortimer, the formula is clear: start fast, deny Kerry control, stay in the fight until the final 10 minutes.

Then, at last, can they turn history on its head?