2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 133rd final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and the culmination of the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Reigning All-Ireland SFC and Leinster champions Dublin took on Connacht champions Mayo, with Dublin bidding to become the first Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) team to win six consecutive editions of the competition.

2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
Event2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Dublin Mayo
2–14 0–15
Date19 December 2020
VenueCroke Park, Dublin
Man of the MatchCon O'Callaghan[1][2]
RefereeDavid Coldrick (Meath)[3]
Attendance0[note 1]

The match was played at Croke Park in Dublin on 19 December 2020.[4][5]

The game was televised nationally on RTÉ Two as part of The Saturday Game live programme, presented by Joanne Cantwell from the outdoor COVID-19 pandemic-proofed studio at Croke Park, with analysis from (positioned left to right onscreen) Tomás Ó Sé, Oisín McConville and Colm O'Rourke. The play-by-play announcer was Ger Canning, assisted by colour commentator Kevin McStay. The game was also televised internationally by Sky Sports, presented by Rachel Wyse and Brian Carney. Des Cahill presented the highlights programme on RTÉ Two that night, with analysis from Pat Spillane, Seán Cavanagh, McStay and Ciarán Whelan.

Background

This All-Ireland championship was delayed to the end of the year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games, with a straight knockout tournament for the first time since 2000.

  • Dublin were aiming to complete an unprecedented six-in-a-row, having won the All-Ireland in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
  • Mayo were aiming to win their first All-Ireland since 1951. Since then, they had lost nine finals in a row (1989, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017).
  • This was the first final to take place in December since 1917. It is the latest in a year that the final has taken place (on several years up until 1926, the final was delayed to the year after it was supposed to take place).
  • Both the Taoiseach and President of Ireland were absent, another first.[6]
  • The fifth meeting of Dublin and Mayo in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final. The previous meetings were in 1921, 2013, 2016 and 2017: Dublin won all four.[7]
  • 15 Dublin players had the opportunity to equal Jack Lynch's six consecutive All-Ireland medals (hurling 1941–44, football 1945, hurling 1946).[8]

Paths to the final

Dublin

Mayo

Pre-match

The Chicago Federation of Labor displayed the words "Mayo for Sam" in lights on the 41-storey Prudential Building ahead of the game.[9][10] Dublin Castle was also lit up in the Mayo colours ahead of the game.[11]

Traditionally, the final of the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship takes place before the senior game. However, due to the pandemic, that competition was still in its preliminary stages as December arrived. Instead, the final of the 2020 All-Ireland Under-20 Football Championship, contested by Dublin and Galway and originally due to have been played in October before a further suspension of play occurred for underage teams, is scheduled to take place before the senior decider.[12][13]

The official matchday programme was made available in physical form for supporters ahead of the game, either online (via an emailed PDF and follow-up copy send through the postal system) or to purchase at SuperValu and Centra outlets in Dublin and Mayo.[14]

Match

Summary

Dean Rock obtained the record for the fastest goal scored in the history of All-Ireland SFC finals, after sending the ball past David Clarke directly from the throw-in of the 2020 final, breaking Kerryman Garry McMahon's record which had stood since the 1962 final.[15]

This was the second consecutive All-Ireland SFC final half throw-in that Dublin scored a goal from, following Eoin Murchan's goal straight from the second half throw-in of the 2019 replay.[16]

With this victory, six Dublin players joined the five Kerrymen (Ogie Moran, Páidí Ó Sé, Ger Power, Mikey Sheehy and Pat Spillane) on a record eight All-Ireland SFC medals. These were Stephen Cluxton, Michael Fitzsimons, James McCarthy, Philly McMahon, Kevin McManamon and Cian O'Sullivan.[17] Ballymun Kickhams joined Austin Stacks club in having two such players. Only Ó Sé is deceased, so ten of the eleven were alive in tandem.

Details

Post-match

The Sam Maguire Cup was withheld over concerns about the possibility of "crowds gathering".[18]

Three members of the Mayo backroom team were each suspended for three months after attending the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final "without accreditation".[19][20][21][22] They sneaked into the stadium by hitching a ride in the team's kit van.[23]

Notes
  1. The game was played behind closed doors due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games.

References
  1. "Man of the Match Con O'Callaghan revels in Dublin's 'special' feat after the All-Ireland SFC final". RTÉ Sport. 19 December 2020.
  2. "'Blessed' O'Callaghan finds his flow state". RTÉ Sport. 21 December 2020.
  3. "Coldrick chosen to referee All-Ireland SFC final". Hogan Stand. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  4. O, Tomas (6 December 2020). "Dublin v Mayo 2020 All Ireland Football Final - Start time 5pm 19th Dec".
  5. "Dublin vs Mayo – Channel, time, date and everything you need to know to watch All-Ireland football final". www.msn.com.
  6. Henry, Aiden (1 January 2021). "Alleged Covid breach at Mayo's clash with Dublin". The Connaught Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  7. O'Brien, Kevin. "Dublin and Mayo to meet in 4th All-Ireland final in 8 seasons". The42.
  8. "December Road: Dublin players can emulate Jack Lynch". The Irish Times. 16 December 2020.
  9. "Chicago gets behind 'Mayo for Sam' ahead of All-Ireland final". RTÉ. 15 December 2020.
  10. "Chicago backs 'Mayo for Sam'". Hogan Stand. 16 December 2020.
  11. "Dublin Castle lit up in Mayo colours". Hogan Stand. 19 December 2020.
  12. "Under-20 decider to be played before All-Ireland final". RTÉ. 2 December 2020.
  13. "U20FC decider to form a double header on All-Ireland SFC final day". Hogan Stand. 2 December 2020.
  14. "Special match programme made available for the All-Ireland football finals". Hogan Stand. 18 December 2020.
  15. "Rock smashes fastest goal record in All-Ireland SFC final". Hogan Stand. 19 December 2020.
  16. Clerkin, Malachy (19 December 2020). "Dublin tie a bow around it as they complete the six-in-a-row". The Irish Times. After Eoin Murchan's goal in the replay last year, it meant that Dublin have scored a goal from the throw-in in two All-Ireland final halves in a row.
  17. "Chance to join 'eight All-Irelands club' not a motivation for O'Sullivan". Hogan Stand. 16 December 2020.
  18. "Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy Cups won't be going anywhere this winter". Hogan Stand. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  19. "Mayo backroom trio suspended after All-Ireland final breach". BBC Sport. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  20. "No Croke Park sanction for Mayo after unaccredited staff attend All-Ireland final". The Irish Times. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  21. McKeon, Conor (12 January 2021). "No further sanctions for Mayo GAA after suspension of three senior management team members". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  22. Lawlor, Damian (12 January 2021). "Mayo suspend trio from senior backroom team for Covid breach". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  23. McKeon, Conor (13 January 2021). "Mayo board alerted Croke Park chiefs to All-Ireland final breach". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
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