MOSTLY FOOTBALL: The games that defined the decade, 19-11

Football analyst Michael Hannon runs through the matches which defined the last 10 years.

19. Donegal 1-12 Kildare 0-14 
2011 All-Ireland quarter-final

The thing to remember about this game is that even after extra time, Kildare had only managed to kick 1-11 against Donegal’s mass defence. Jim McGuinness’s first year in charge had many managers scratching their heads at how to go about breaking down his side. 
Kieran McGeeney was in his fourth year in the job, had lost an All-Ireland semi-final the year previously to Down, and had his side in tip-top physical condition. 
Only 39,612 witnessed the drama of that night in Croke Park. Kildare ran and ran, trying to force their way through the Donegal wall of bodies, so much so that when they went into extra time you feared for their legs. 
To say they died with their boots on would be an understatement. Donegal hadn’t yet mastered the counter-attack that would see them score so heavily in 2012 en route to winning Sam Maguire. 
Both teams turned over ball and then raced each other up the field as if panicked at conceding a score or being faced with the mass defence. McGuinness would later describe the atmosphere that evening as “raw as I have ever felt.” 
In the end it was decided at the death by a sublime moment of magic by Kevin Cassidy, kicking into Hill 16, with the outside of the boot, from all of 50 metres out. Cue equal parts jubilation and devastation from 
the respective players and supporters. 

18. Cork 2-20 Mayo 0-27 AET
2017 Rd 4 Qualifier

This was played out in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick with both sides going into it struggling for form. Mayo had been taken to extra time by Derry, and struggled for long periods of the first half against Clare in the previous rounds of the qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Cork had found themselves caught in a downward spiral of negativity and poor performances. The charm of this game was both sides could turn up and be awful - or awesome.
Cork’s second half display against Tipperary earlier in the championship showed them at their best, running hard with men high up the field coming on loops to create chances.
Any team who could match Mayo for running power had the potential to stay with them. But would Cork play to their strengths?
This game caught fire early on with both sides trading points. At 8-7 to Mayo, the men from the west went through the gears to open up a double scores lead, 0-14 to 0-7 with 20 odd minutes left to play.
But Mayo being Mayo allowed Cork back into it and two well-taken goals gave us a grandstand finish that saw injury time scores for either side from Paddy Durcan and Luke Connolly force us into extra time.
Mayo were beginning to look a little leggy and Cork were the team with all the energy. They pushed on to go two points up before four late scores from Mayo reversed that scoreline.
A late point for Cork, and a number of chances squandered, saw Mayo hang on by the finest of margins. The team that had brought Dublin to a replay the previous year was beginning to show signs that they were stirring.
Given the number of veterans on the Mayo squad the adage of needing the old dog for the hard road sprang to mind.

17. Donegal 1-20 Kerry 1-20
2019 Super 8s

The Super 8s were struggling. We hadn’t got the excitement or drama from the format that had been anticipated and the overall quality was poor as it became apparent that we don’t have seven other teams with the ability to compete with Dublin. 
It needed a game of note to ignite interest and give hope that with a few more tweaks it may be better in future years. When Donegal came to town few expected them to deviate away from their defensive template that had served them so well in Ulster. 
But perhaps their hand was 
forced after a very early injury to Hugh McFadden, who they had utilised as a sweeper throughout the year. 
The game hadn’t really settled down when he was forced to leave the field of play. 
Whether by plan, or whether by accident, Donegal went man-to-man on defence and toe-to-toe with Kerry over the 70 minutes. Clifford and Geaney at one end, McBrearty at the other. 
Full-forward lines were able to flourish and we got to witness one of the great Gaelic football shoot-outs of any era. 
Ryan McHugh and Michael Murphy were excellent in the middle third and the game produced what seemed like a thrill a minute. 
Paul Murphy hit what looked like the winner in the 73rd minute of the game but there was still enough time for a Murphy free to level matters, in the 76th minute, the 14th time that the sides had been level over the course of the game.

16. Kildare 0-21 Mayo 0-19
2018 All-Ireland qualifier

Mayo were in trouble entering this game. They were battered and bruised from their championship exploits so far and had an injury crisis at midfield. The last thing they needed was an emotionally charged Kildare side on a crusade. 
Cian O’Neill refused to back down to Croke Park when the men in Jones road saw an opportunity to hold a double header at headquarters with the Tyrone and Cavan games. He was adamant that the game was going ahead in Newbridge and once he uttered those words, the “Newbridge or Nowhere” slogan began trending on social media. Kildare county board backed him to the hilt and Croke Park conceded. 
When Mayo arrived into town on the Saturday night the atmosphere at the venue was electric. The game lived up to its billing, delivering on all fronts in terms of quality, action, incident and drama. 
Kildare raced into a 0-6 to 0-2 lead and Mayo, with their backs to the wall, produced a superb response to go in at half-time deadlocked. But the madness was only beginning.
The evening was a sweltering one and the hard running from both sides thrilled the crowd as fatigue set in and players wilted desperately trying to catch opponents. Diarmuid O’Connor, relocated to midfield for the evening, produced the individual performance of the summer but as cramp took hold during the eight minutes of injury time played Kildare made their dash for glory. 
With Mayo down by three they went looking for the goal they needed but couldn’t convert any the chances they created. Kildare progressed through to the Super 8s as Mayo exited the championship.

15. Monaghan 0-13 Donegal 0-7
2013 Ulster Final

The context for this game is key. Donegal had won Ulster in 2011, and won the All-Ireland in 2012. No-one had really figured out how to crack their mass defence. They had managed to handsomely beat the spread at the bookies in every single game they played under Jim McGuinness, until they faced Monaghan under Malachy O’Rourke. 
Monaghan had played their league football in Division 3 that year and most their panel had previously and comprehensively lost two Ulster finals to Tyrone. Not too many people gave them a chance. 
O’Rourke paid McGuinness the greatest compliment by copying his approach. We had two mass defences in Clones but the difference was the approach from the Monaghan players. They were manic with their aggression levels, and Donegal weren’t prepared for the battle. 
One moment typified the difference in the sides when Stephen Gollogly threw himself through the air and into a challenge with Mark McHugh that saw the Donegal sweeper having to leave the field of play. 
The Farney raced into a 0-5 to 0-0 lead and it took until the 32nd minute before Donegal managed their first score, a free from Colm McFadden. 
They tried hard to reel their opponents in but Drew Wylie, Vinny Corey, Kieran Hughes and Dessie Mone all had career-defining performances. In the end, veteran Tommy Freeman came off the bench to kick the insurance point to make it a comprehensive victory. 
This game subsequently gave credence to the argument that the only way to beat the blanket defence was to mirror it and its legacy is perhaps one of sides all over Ireland adopting a copycat approach when faced with a blanket, until Dublin started to change peoples minds around 2016/2017.

14. Down 1-16 Kildare 1-14
2010 All Ireland semi-final

2010 was never considered a vintage year for Gaelic football, possibly because all four provincial winners were beaten in the quarter-final stage, but the relative parity in standards among all the sides meant we got fairly close and exciting finishes to games. 
This game is probably best remembered for exactly that, with Kildare’s Rob Kelly hitting the underside of the crossbar in injury time from a 25m free, as Down lined every one of their players up on the goal line trying to stop the goal Kildare needed. 
However, the 70 minutes of action that preceded that finish were just as packed with drama, controversy and quality. Down were fantastic in the first half with Martin Clarke and Benny Coulter running riot. 
Coulter scored a sublime point from the wing at one stage as Down raced off into seven-point lead. Kildare came right back at them and really could count themselves unlucky not to have won the game. 
Coulter’s first half goal should have been ruled out for square ball, and forward Alan Smith had a perfectly fine point ruled wide in the days preceding hawk eye in Croke Park. 
Eamon O’Callaghan hit the post with another effort that should have yielded a goal in what came to be seen as the stereotypical Kildare performance under Kieran McGeeney. Lots of brilliant running and hard work, but a lack of efficiency with their shooting in front of goals generally cost them.

13. Dublin 1-12 Kerry 1-11
2011 All-Ireland Final

This was the game that changed everything. Kerry were winning early on thanks to a Colm Cooper goal but both sides were struggling with the wet and slippery conditions and turnovers were coming thick and heavy. 
By half-time, Dublin had pulled themselves into a one point lead which they had extended to three by the 42nd minute. Kerry at this stage had remarkably only manged one goal and two points but sensing the game was drifting away from them, they put their foot on the gas. 
Over the next 20 minutes they would outscore Dublin by 0-8 to 0-1 to earn a four-point lead of their own entering the final stretch. However the drama had yet to start. 
Dublin turned over a ball in the middle of the field and a sweeping move down the field saw supersub Kevin McManamon finishing a low shot to the net. 
Hill 16 came alive as they sensed that this time might be different. Kerry were still a point up and had the ball but a Michael Darragh Macauley turnover in the middle of the field resulted in an opportunity for wing-back Kevin Nolan, who slotted over from distance to level affairs with five minutes left to play. 
Bernard Brogan edged them infront with 69 minutes on the clock and Kerry hit back through a wonderful Kieran Donaghy effort a minute later. Dublin came back up the field and more direct running from Kevin McManamon won a free that would suit a left-footed freetaker. 
Immediately Bernard Brogan grabbed the ball and signalled down the field for Stephen Cluxton to come out to take it. Cluxton, who prior to 2011 had lost four All-Ireland semi-finals by a single point made the long walk up the field and displaying nerves of steel, coolly slotted the free over the bar. 
Kerry took the kick-out short but referee Joe McQuillan blew almost immediately which sparked mad celebrations among the Dublin supporters in the stadium.

12. Kerry 1-16 Mayo 1-16
2014 All-Ireland semi-final 

This game was evenly poised late in the first half when Lee Keegan received his marching orders. The Westport player flicked his boot in the direction of Johnny Buckley who had just thrown a slap at the wing-back. 
Buckley’s team-mate Donnacha Walsh had his arms wrapped around Keegan after the referee had blown the whistle for a free to the Mayo man and Keegan, frustrated at not being able to take his free and receving attention after the whistle paid a heavy price for his actions. 
Kerry would stretch their lead out to four points by half-time, and given how Mayo were a man down, most observers assumed this game was over. James O’Donoghue hit the opening score of the second half to make matters worse but then Mayo stirred. A man down, they abandoned their sweeper system from the opening half and looked to win turnovers high up the field. 
They would outscore Kerry 0-6 to 0-1 over the next 20 minutes with Alan Dillon and Cillian O’Connor in particular coming to the fore. The final 20 minutes was end-to-end action. 
At 0-13 apiece, a marauding Donal Vaughan run saw the men from the west win a penalty. At 1-13 to 0-11 up, Eamon Fitzmaurice rolled the dice and sprung Kieran Donaghy off the bench. Straight into full forward, the big man would set up O’Donoghue for a crucial goal with a minute left to play. 
Kieran O’Leary kicked the equaliser seconds later before James O’Donnoghue would hit a post. Mayo after putting so much into their comeback were running on fumes and a late Bryan Sheehan free looked like it might be decisive. 
But it fell just short and referee David McGoldrick blew for a draw, with the replay taking place a week later in the Gaelic grounds in Limerick.

11. Mayo 1-14 Dublin 3-15
2015 All-Ireland semi-final replay

Mayo had finished the drawn game the stronger of the two teams, throwing caution to the wind and running hard at Dublin’s defence. And so it was that they started off that way again but Dublin this time stayed with them blow for blow. 
The rate of scoring was high in the first half that included a wonder score for Diarmuid O’Connor, four first-half points for Paddy Andrews, and lovely left footed clipped effort from Lee Keegan on the run. The sides were level seven times over the course of the opening period, and that’s how they ran down the tunnel at half-time, tied at 0-10 each. 
When Cillian O’Connor hit a goal early in the second half after good work by Andy Moran, it pushed the men from the west into a four-point lead. Dublin were rattled and a few moments later Lee Keegan went racing through right in front of goals with an opportunity to put five between the sides but his shot from 20 metres out dropped short and into Cluxton’s hands. 
Then Gavin emptied the bench and with 18 minutes left to play Dublin started finding gaps in the Mayo rearguard. 
When Brogan slid in to finish to the net the sides were level for the eighth and final time. Dublin would rattle in two more goals to hit Mayo for 3-3 without reply in an awesome demonstration of scoring power. Somehow a game that had lived on a knife edge for so long was blown wide open in a matter of minutes. 
The final against Kerry was a rather forgettable affair with Dublin keeping the Kingdom at arm’s length throughout, and the year and their campaign was eventually defined by the two battles the champions had with Mayo.

SEE ALSO: The games that defined the decade, part one

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