Mayo hold off old rivals Galway to claim Allianz Football League Divison 1 crown

A flying start and a strong finish proved crucial as Mayo captured their second Allianz Football League Division 1 title in five seasons at Croke Park.

Kevin McStay's team — who have only lost once this year — edged out Connacht rivals Galway in a tight finish, much like their last league final meeting in 2001.

Mayo goalkeeper Colm Reape produced a man-of-the match display, making four superb saves, including late stops from Damien Comer and Peter Cooke to deny the Galway duo goals that could have tipped the balance.

The winners led from pillar to post and, despite their best efforts, the Tribesmen never fully recovered from a slow start and were unable to get back on level terms at any stage.

In front of an attendance of 45,041, Mayo set the tone early on and were three points in front at the interval - 0-8 to 0-5.

But a quickfire brace of scores from Robert Finnerty narrowed the margin inside the opening five minutes of the second half and, from there to the finish, there was very little to choose between the teams.

Mayo managed to give themselves a little more breathing space with a well-struck '45 from their goalkeeper, Colm Reape (who finished with three points) and a free from top scorer Ryan O’Donoghue (who finished with seven points).

O’Donoghue also landed a fine effort from a mark on 53 minutes — after he was picked out by the outstanding Aidan O’Shea — to nudge Mayo ahead by 0-11 to 0-8.

Another fine score from Shane Walsh, quickly followed by a goal chance from Damien Comer! pic.twitter.com/YxZiMVZEEs

Padraic Joyce's men continued to give chase, with Seán Kelly, Shane Walsh and Damien Comer driving them forward, and points from Walsh and Cooke left just a kick of the ball between the teams again heading into the final