Conor Mortimer's Warning to Mayo Ahead of All-Ireland Final
Conor Mortimer has warned Mayo that they cannot afford to repeat the mistakes that doomed them against Kerry in the All-Ireland finals of 2004 and 2006 if they are to rip up the script at Croke Park on Sunday.
The former Mayo sharpshooter knows exactly how ruthless the Kingdom can be on the biggest stage. He lived it.
Back then, the Green and Red walked into Kerry ambushes. In 2004 under John Maughan, they were eight points down by the 25th minute and never truly recovered, losing 1-20 to 2-09. Two years later it was even more brutal: Kerry rattled in 2-04 in the opening 13 minutes and cruised to a 13-point win over a Mayo side then managed by Mickey Moran.
Mortimer, top scorer in the 2006 championship and an All-Star that year, has those days seared into his memory – and he sees echoes of them in Kerry’s modern incarnation.
He pointed to last year’s final as a fresh warning sign, when Kerry ripped into Donegal from the throw-in and had the game practically parked before half-time, 0-13 to 0-04 in front before the 20-minute mark.
“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.
The message is clear: Mayo cannot tiptoe into this final.
“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.”
For Mortimer, this isn’t about sentiment or romance. It’s about seizing the initiative, especially around the middle third.
“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.”
Kerry, chasing a 40th All-Ireland title, stride into Croke Park as heavy favourites. Mayo, under Andy Moran, are hunting just a fourth Sam Maguire and a first since 1951, the year that has weighed over generations in the county.
History between the counties offers little comfort. Mayo have only six wins from 30 championship meetings with Kerry. One of those, though, came in their most recent clash: a 1-19 to 0-17 victory in last year’s round-robin, a reminder that the gap is not unbridgeable.
Mortimer believes Mayo’s route to an upset lies not in a whirlwind start alone, but in dragging Kerry into deep waters.
“I’d like to see Kerry tested in the last 10 minutes,” said the Shrule-Glencorrib man.
He trusts Mayo’s legs and resolve if they can still be swinging when the clock turns red.
“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.”
Key to that, in his eyes, is how Mayo handle Paudie Clifford, the man of the match in the semi-final against Dublin and the conductor of Kerry’s attack.
“You’d expect Mayo to be a lot, lot tighter on Paudie than Dublin were in the semi-final.”
Mortimer is not neutral, and he doesn’t pretend to be. His heart is nailed to the Green and Red, but his argument is grounded in detail: intensity from the throw-in, dominance around the breaks, discipline on Clifford, and the game still on the line in the closing minutes.
“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 a county scarred by Kerry on All-Ireland final day, the question now is stark: can Mayo finally turn old pain into the edge they need, or will the Kingdom write another ruthless chapter in this rivalry?
