By Terry Reilly (c)

IT did our hearts good to see Cora Staunton sweeping through and around

challenges en route to goal and applying the coup de grace in such

spectacular fashion at Croker last Saturday.

Mayo, the defending All-Ireland ladies champions, were back at the scene of

their historic triumph last year, trying to make it to the final again. In

their way stood last year's junior kingpins, Tyrone, full of vigour and

ideas and brash enough to pose considerable problems.

How would Mayo react to the pressure? Would some of their edge have been

blunted in the interim? Would they have the hunger?

Well, come the second half and we - and Tyrone - got our answer. Eleven

minutes into the half, Tyrone were still making the running and when their

majestic Lynnette Hughes expertly steered a penalty shot past the diving

clutches of Denise Horan, the Ulster champions led by two points. When they

extended that to three, Mayo knew they had their backs to the wall. But they

responded like real champions and for the final fourteen minutes they got

down to brass tacks, with Cora Staunton and last year's captain Diane O'Hora

showing the way. O'Hora's goal, her second?, was a gem, skilful, cheeky and

perfectly executed , and opened up the way for a barrage, including another

typical Cora Staunton goal, to complete her hat-trick. In all she bagged 3-6

in a virtuoso performance that made up for her cruel disappointment in last

year's final when, injured, she made a token appearance before being

substituted.

Mayo are useful throughout the field and while Staunton and O'Hora (who

chalked up a highly impressive 2-3) are particularly effective up front,

they would not prosper without the service provided from outfield.

And so Mayo are in the final again, where they meet either Meath or

Waterford, last year's defeated finalists. They have a chance, but one can

imagine how determined Waterford will be if they get a chance to avenge last

year's surprise defeat. Indeed, as an exercise in planting feet right back

on the ground, it might be no harm to reflect on this thought: Mayo's

victory of last year is consigned to history and that All-Ireland medal

could in time look very lonely on its own.

FAMILIAR RING

SO it's Galway v. Kerry in the All-Irleand football final on September 24th!

That has a familiar comforting ring about it, though I suspect John O'Mahony

would have preferred Armagh.

Kerry came into the series with lots of question marks hanging over them.

These were summed up very succinctly by Ger O'Keeffe, a Kerry captain of

the seventies, during one of the breaks on Saturday's replay, when he said

one never knew what to expect from them.

Well, on Saturday in the second half and again in extra time they really

came good: facing down the barrel of a gun, they found reserves of fortitude

and resolve not many of their followers would have given them credit for.

A draw, a replay and extra time can be the makings of All-Ireland champions

and I am sure it would be a mouth watering prospect to John O'Mahony who

knows better than most just how beneficial to Galway was the Connacht replay

game against Roscommon in 1998. We can take it Kerry have gained an

incalculable momentum but the advantage has yet to be won.

Why? I hear you ask. Well, dear friends, winning major football matches has

probably more to do with those little cells in the brain than all the huff

and puff on the training ground.

Look at it like this: Kerry now know they are good, maybe even believe they

are better than they really are. The media have seen and will also believe.

But more important than all of that, Galway also know Kerry are really good.

And if that doesn't bring the required response in preparation from the

Tribesmen I will eat my favourite baseball hat.

Which I not to say I believe Galway will, as I predicted last December, win

the title. No, there is much to mull over on the next three weeks before a

final commitment.

Meanwhile, there is enough promise to be going on with: the clash between

the best full-forward in the country, one Padraig Joyce, and the best full

back currently playing football, Seamus Moynihan, for instance.

 *This article first appeared in The Western People newspaper.  Several articles on the success of the Mayo ladies' football team at national level from the same pen.