Mayo Must Confront Painful History Against Kerry, Warns Conor Mortimer
Conor Mortimer has warned Mayo that if they are to rip up the script against Kerry on Sunday, they must first confront some painful old chapters.
The former Mayo sharpshooter lived those days himself. In 2004 and again in 2006, he was part of Green and Red teams that walked into All-Ireland finals full of hope and walked out having been ruthlessly dismantled by the Kingdom.
In 2004 under John Maughan, Mayo were eight points down by the 25th minute and never recovered, beaten 1-20 to 2-09. Two years later it was even more brutal. Kerry rattled in 2-04 inside 13 minutes and cruised to a 13-point win over a Mayo side then managed by Mickey Moran.
Those scars still matter, Mortimer believes, because the pattern is familiar.
Kerry don’t just win finals. They can end them before they’ve even begun.
Mortimer, who topped the scoring charts in the 2006 championship and picked up an All-Star that year, also pointed to last season’s decider as another warning sign. Kerry tore into Donegal from the throw-in, racing into a 0-13 to 0-04 advantage before the 20-minute mark and putting the contest effectively out of reach.
"Ultimately if Mayo are to use anything for this, I mean they look at '04, '06, and what Kerry did to Donegal last year in the first 10 minutes of the All-Ireland, it was over," he told RTÉ Radio 1's Inside Sport.
The message is blunt: Mayo cannot afford to ease their way into this one.
"I know people are saying about settling things down and, you know, being cool in the first period of the game, but I think for Mayo to have a real chance in this game they're going to have to take it to Kerry from the start.
"Don't give Kerry any time to implement their control of the game or the way they play, because if you let them control the ball, you're going to have a job to get it back."
So what does that look like in practical terms? For Mortimer, it starts around the middle third and with early, decisive ball into the forwards.
"I think Mayo are probably going to try to implement their style early on, breaking around the midfield and getting ball to them guys inside and let them do the job after that."
The scale of the task is obvious. Kerry arrive at Croke Park as heavy favourites, hunting a 40th All-Ireland title. Mayo, under Andy Moran, are chasing only a fourth Sam Maguire and a first since 1951, the year that has hung over the county for generations.
History between the counties is lopsided too. The Connacht side have managed just six wins in 30 championship meetings with Kerry. There is, however, a recent sliver of encouragement: their last clash ended in a Mayo victory, 1-19 to 0-17 in a round-robin tie in 2023.
Mortimer believes Mayo’s route to an upset lies not in an early blitz alone, but in dragging Kerry into deep water.
"I'd like to see Kerry tested in the last 10 minutes," said the Shrule-Glencorrib man.
"I would expect that Mayo would have enough if it's tight going into the last [stages]."
That’s where he sees Mayo’s chance – if they’re still within striking distance when the game tightens, when legs are heavy and decisions become frantic.
"Ultimately, it can go two ways: if it's tight, I'm going for Mayo to obviously win it.
If, on the other hand, Kerry kind of turn it on, up it a gear from the semi-final they played against Dublin, then Mayo will probably be in trouble."
Mortimer also pinpointed one key battleground: the influence of Paudie Clifford, man of the match in Kerry’s semi-final win over Dublin.
"You'd expect Mayo to be a lot, lot tighter on Paudie than Dublin were in the semi-final."
That detail matters. If Clifford is allowed to orchestrate the game as he did against Dublin, Kerry’s attack tends to flow. Shut him down, disrupt his rhythm, and the Kingdom look more human.
Despite the weight of history and the bookmakers’ odds, Mortimer’s faith in his old county is clear.
"So look, I'm going for a Mayo win. Very, very tight.
If our young lads settle, we can certainly win the game by a point or two points."
For Mayo, it comes down to this: start fast, stay in the fight, and be ready to finish stronger than they ever have against Kerry on the biggest day of all.
