Dublin beat Mayo 2-14 to 0-15 at Croke Park this evening to win their sixth All-Ireland in a row. It was a tense affair for 55 minutes, but Dublin's strength in depth proved mighty as the likes of Brian Howard and Paul Mannion proved invaluable off the bench. For Mayo the wait, and hurt, goes on.
Dublin have now won eight of the past ten All-Ireland finals. Their domination over gaelic football stretches back to 2011, of course, and this victory is milestone achievement for the core of this Dublin team. Today's win puts Dublin captain Stephen Cluxton and six other players into true GAA immortality status. By winning tonight, seven Dublin footballers join the Kerry footballers Oggie Moran, Pat Spillane, Páidí Ó Sé, Ger Power, Mokey Sheehy as the only players to have won eight Celtic Cross medals in their career.
These are the Dublin players to win their eighth All-Ireland tonight:
- Stephen Cluxton
- Mick Fitzsimons
- Philly McMahon
- Michael Darragh MacAuley
- James McCarthy
- Kevin McManamon
- Cian O'Sullivan
It's a staggering achievement. The likes of Cluxton, McCarthy and Fitzsimons each played a massive role in helping Dublin win the six-in-a-row tonight. James McCarthy spoke of the joy of winning an eighth Celtic Cross afterwards.
🗨️"It's incredible to join that company..."
James McCarthy reacts to winning an eighth All-Ireland medal! pic.twitter.com/UolFp5Cywu— Sky Sports GAA (@SkySportsGAA) December 19, 2020
Here's four of that group photographed on that famous day in 2011. Time has been good to them.
From this juncture, it's hard to see anyone stopping this group from claiming a ninth All-Ireland in 2021.
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