Connacht MFC: Mayo ease past Leitrim

June 29, 2016

Ryan O Donoghue accepts the man of the match award after his display against Leitrim in the Connacht MFC @ConnachtGAA

Ryan O'Donoghue bagged a hat-trick of goals as Mayo came away from Carrick-on-Shannon with a 4-11 to 1-8 victory over Leitrim.

Nathan McGee also found the net for the winners, who will face Galway - victors over Roscommon in tonight's other semi-final - in the provincial decider at Pearse Stadium next month.

Leitrim grabbed their goal in the fourth minute of injury time when Darragh Rooney made no mistake from the penalty spot.

The sides scored three times each in the first half but three goals had the Mayo lads in complete control at the turnaround, 3-3 to 0-6, with the hosts slotting the last four points before the short whistle.

The visitors got off to the mother and father of all dream starts as full forward and Man of the Match O'Donoghue (3-4) netted twice inside the opening five minutes and the winners had 2-2 on the board by the time Rooney opened Leitrim's account from a free.

Colm Moran stretched the gap and Niall McGovern slotted the home team's second point of the night. The game was well and truly over a contest by the time McGee supplied Mayo's second major in the 16th minute to leave ten points between the teams, 3-3 to 0-2.

Rooney pulled back a trio of converted frees in the 19th, 21st and 23rd minutes and McGovern's second score - Leitrim's fourth in a row - had the gap back to a more-manageable six, although the visitors still led by double scores at the interval.

An Oisin McLaughlin free steadied the winners upon the restart and O'Donoghue completed his hat-trick in the 44th minute, with Conor Stenson and Colm Murphy on target either side of that score - 4-6 to 0-6.

Seamus Sweeney (free) and McLaughlin exchanged scores and Jack Gilheaney pulled back a consolation point only for McLaughlin to reply again with two minutes left. O'Donoghue added a couple of late pointed frees and McLaughlin helped himself to another point in injury time as Enda Gilvarry's charges eased into the decider on July 10th.

Mayo - A Byrne; C Horan, D Cosgrave, J Cunnane; B O'Malley, M Macken, J Maughan; C Murphy (0-1), N Moran; P Lambert (0-1), R Egan, O McLaughlin (0-3); C Moran (0-1), R O'Donoghue (3-4), N McGee (1-0). Subs: C Stenson (0-1) for N Moran, S Kenny for B O'Malley, T Conroy for N McGee, S McGreal for R Egan, L Kelly for M Macken, E Gibbons for C Moran.

Leitrim - D Maxwell; L Ryan, E Harkin, F Gallogly; C McGloin, J Gilheaney (0-1), S Harkin; N McGovern (0-2), E Keegan; C Duffy, S Chandler, E Harkin; R O'Rourke, D Rooney (1-4, 1-0pen, 0-4f), J Glancy. Subs: S Sweeney (0-1f) for J Glancy, S McDermott for L Ryan, C Kiernan for S Chandler, M Dolan for C Duffy, A McLoughlin for R O'Rourke.

Referee - S Hehir.


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