PLAY IT AGAIN SAM!



Connaught Telegraph 11 September 1996


Editorial

Its forty-five years since Mayo last won an All-Ireland football title. So long, in fact, that it would not be remembered by the majority of our readers.

But the air of expectancy that has enraptured the county in recent weeks is a tonic long awaited and one which we hope to see climax on Sunday. John Maughan's men of metal will mesmerise Meath. We are confident of that and the Sam Maguire Cup will once again be wrapped in the red and green as it wings its way West.

The dedication and commitment for the season shown by the entire Mayo panel and the County GAA Board is a credit to them, their families and supporters. They have given the county a new lease of life. A reason to be proud again. A reason to hold our heads high among the footballing greats of this country.

And when Mayo march on the manicured green grass of Croke Park they will have behind them every man, woman and child of Mayo extraction.

For those who are lucky enough to be present for the occasion it will be the treat of a lifetime. The hassle for tickets will be forgotten as the ball in thrown in for the 1996 clash of the Titans.

This writer, however, will be content to view the spectacular on television. I have not sought nor do I wish to get a ticket for the final. To do so would be the height of hypocrisy on my part.

Having stood in Croke Park just once (watching the Mayo minors in 1967) - my record for McHale Park is not be much better - I do not deserve, nor do I want, to be considered for a ticket for this historic game. So I am content to be the one left behind in Mayo to put out the light when all have departed for Dublin on Sunday and to be there to greet them on their return with Sam.

Nevertheless, I will still be glued to the chair or stool, hoping (knowing) Mayo will pull it off this time.

While I am not a sports fan, the organisation which I represent has the proudest record in Connaught of reporting on GAA matters. Having been founded in 1828, the Connaught Telegraph had a good and solid grounding behind it when the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded 56-years later.

Since then generations of our top sports writers have been chronicling the day-to-day happenings of the organisation, to maintain that tradition today. We still continue that to this moment and look forward to recording for posterity, a magnificent win on Sunday. Our sports journalists, John Melvin, Tom Kelly, Michael Commins and Jonathan Mullin and cameraman Michael Donnelly will be in Dublin to give a kick-by-kick report on the final.

John Maughan knows how to bring out the best in people. His Army training has proven invaluable, in this instance, in moulding the Mayo squad into a fighting fit bunch of enthusiastic players. He saw this dream come true with Clare only to be deprived at the semi-final stage by Dublin. But this time it is different. This time it is for real.

There has been a further maturing process since then and now Mayo are ripe to pluck Sam from the clutches of Meath and spirit it back West of the Shannon.

The sacrifices which the management team and players have had to endure since the start of the campaign are well known and appreciated by all who follow the game. They are now nearing an end with the ultimate goal in sight.

But during the build-up period Maughan has not forgotten the less well off. He has been a champion of many worthy causes, not least of all the Rehab Foundation. And more recently he committed himself and the entire Mayo squad to staging a fund raising night for the Mayo General Hospital Cat Scan appeal, showing him to be a caring individual and one who has got his priorities right.

But above all, it is the new spirit of hope that Maughan, selectors Tommy O'Malley and Peter Ford and his squad have instilled in all Mayo people that comes shining through.

Even this writer, not easily enveloped in such hysteria, has to admit to a certain feeling of unbounding hope and anticipation that Mayo will win the 1996 All-Ireland football final. This is going to be Mayo's year.

The significance of such a win will create an end of season economic boon within the county. Already the enormous spending spree that has been seen in the lead-up to the final is an indication of what will be unleased when Sam comes West.

Bank accounts will be overdrawn, Credit Union loans topped up, cheques post-dated and financial debts called in as the entire county celebrate the homecoming of Sam. There are no if's or but's about it.

There will be unbounding bliss and all of the West of Ireland will celebrate when Mayo pull it off. All around the county the red and green can be seen as households, shops, pubs, motorists and council workers don their favourite colours in support of Maughan's mighty men.

The win on Sunday would be an historical achievement, a memorable day for the seasoned Mayo GAA supporters and for the younger fans, a day they will never forget.

A second allocation from GAA headquarters is expected today or tomorrow. It is vital if some of the hungry fans are to get entry to Croke Park on Sunday. Every possible source for tickets has been tapped by now both at home and abroad. Even the politicians have been targeted in the hope that they might have some spare passes.

Be that as it may. The most fervent wish of County Board Chairman, Fr. Noel Forde, is that the Mayo team players and management are not hassled for tickets they do not have. They have an important job in hand and it is vital that they are let get on with it without a bombardment from fans seeking that elusive ticket.

True supporters will honour this request and leave them in peace to prepare for the biggest game of their lives and contemplate on tactics for Sunday. When all of Mayo is celebrating after Sunday evening's victory we would ask that the revelling is of the best order, as is expected of all Mayo supporters. We look forward to seeing Sam being lifted high over Mayo on Monday.



Connaught Telegraph - News - September 1996

Connaught Telegraph - Sport - September 1996