No tomorrow, no yesterday, just the here and now and the afterglow of Mayo’s magnificent achievement in ending a 75-year famine to become All-Ireland Senior Football Champions again.
How they suffered down the years; now they can host the mother of all parties in the erstwhile named House of Pain. No one deserves it more.
It will hardly come as any surprise that Ryan O’Donoghue has been named as the All-Ireland final man of the match and The Sunday Game player of the season.
The commentators on Midwest Radio, in the throes of delirium as they called the magic moments following the final whistle of their 1-20 to 1-17 win over Kerry, declared it a done deal. Who could argue.
The Belmullet man embellished a brilliant performance in the showpiece final with 0-05 to his name but he also lead the defence from the front line of attack, setting the tone as he hassled and harried the Kerry ball-carriers in their attempts to play out.
Throughout the season the 27-year-old has switched between 14 and 11 and roved magnificently around Croke Park on one of the most famous of Sundays in GAA history.
Scintillating from Mayo.
Ryan O’Donoghue powers forward from his own half, beats multiple Kerry men, and Darragh Beirne fires into the net for Mayo.
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— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 26, 2026
Darragh Beirne scored Mayo’s only goal of the game but it came following an audacious break from deep in his own half from O’Donoghue.
He made 60-odd yards, beat four Kerry defenders before lobbing a perfect ball into the path of David McBrien, who forwarded the ball to Beirne to dispatch.
“These are the days we’ll never forget, it’s been a long time coming, a lot of heartbreak but Mayo people are All-Ireland champions again,” he told RTÉ after the game.
The Connacht side were outstanding to a man on Sunday but none surpassed the excellence of O’Donoghue.
Here’s The Sunday Game team of the year, as chosen by panellists Paul Flynn, Enda McGinley, Cora Staunton, Ciarán Whelan, Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Mark McHugh.
There are seven players from Mayo, four Kerry, one Dublin, one Louth, one Westmeath and one from Tyrone .
Shane Murphy (Kerry)
The Dr Crokes clubman was seen as a back-up to Shane Ryan, last year’s best goalkeeper, but soon established himself as Jack O’Connor’s number one number one. The 33-year-old was incredibly consistent across the season and quickly became comfortable as the stock value of the kick-out rose. His super close-range save from Kobe McDonald in the second half kept Kerry in the hunt. He kept four clean sheets in his eight outings this summer.
Sam Callinan (Mayo)
The defender capped off a superb display by scoring a first-half point on All-Ireland final day. He gave everything on the biggest of stages before being replaced late on. Only 23, the Ballina Stephenites man is in his fourth year on the intercounty stage and drops back a line to take his place on the Sunday Game team.
Jason Foley (Kerry)
The Ballydonoghue back keeps his place in the team of the year after an outstanding contribution as Kerry made it back to the final, losing just once – to Donegal in the qualifier – before Sunday’s final defeat. Didn’t enjoy his finest 70 minutes in the final but that didn’t count against him for this selection.
Enda Hession (Mayo)
Like most of the Mayo side, Hession grew into the final after a nervy start but his experience and know-how across the season was telling in a side with more than a few young guns. The Garrymore clubman made his Mayo debut in 2021 and enjoyed a stellar campaign.
David McBrien (Mayo)
Ballaghaderreen’s McBrien saved his best for the decider and came up with two huge moments: first, getting a settling first score for the underdogs and later a crucial brilliantly-read intercept that started the move for their goal. The 25-year-old enjoys the physical side of the game and is not short of pace.
Dara McDonnell (Louth)
A huge figure in Louth’s unlikely but thrilling run to the All-Ireland semi-finals. Kicked a two-pointer in their shock victory over Monaghan in the quarter-finals when he was named man of the match. The Naomh MaÃrtÃn man lorded it in the skies this championship.
Matthew Whittaker (Westmeath)
Whitaker was a standout in Westmeath’s brilliant summer, which included a memorable Leinster final victory over Dublin. He scored a fine solo goal against Monaghan as their season came to an end in June, while the Tubberclair man also raised a green flag in their earlier win over Meath.
Conn Kilpatrick (Tyrone)
While Tyrone, who lost their Ulster preliminary tie to Armagh, saw their season come to an end against Kerry in the All-Ireland quarter, they recorded wins over Roscommon and Mayo in the All-Ireland series and Kilpatrick, a 2021 Sam Maguire winner, was central to their cause. The St Malachy’s Edendork clubman was also superb in their narrow loss to the Kingdom and gets the nod from the Sunday Game judges.
Jack Carney (Mayo)
Still in the infancy of his blossoming career, the Kilmeena man capped it all off with a superb All-Ireland final performance. The midfielder kicked four points in the decider, bringing his championship tally to 0-15 for the year, as well as dominating the aerial exchanges for Andy Moran’s men.
Niall Scully (Dublin)
Now 32, few players exemplified Dublin’s return to the final four like Scully. The Templeogue man was talismanic in the wins over Donegal and Galway on back-to-back Sundays in Croke Park, showing the gritty determination that made the Boys in Blue so formidable in the late 2010s.
Paudie Clifford (Kerry)
Although Sunday did not go his way, Paudie Clifford continued to boss proceedings on Kerry’s march to the final. Finishing with a more than respectable 1-21, he mixed his esteemed link-up play with some sharp shooting, registered 70 possessions and was man of the match in the semi-final against Dublin.
Jordan Flynn (Mayo)
The half-forward landed a crucial point in the All-Ireland final when Kerry looked to be gaining the upper hand coming down the stretch. The Crossmolina Deel Rovers man helped Mayo, who lost their Connacht semi-final to Roscommon, negotiate their path past Monaghan, Meath, Cork and Louth before playing a big part in dethroning the champions.
David Clifford (Kerry)
Set to be Kerry’s hero for so long in the final, getting 1-06, among that the goal, and a stunning two-pointer that looked certain to kick-start their comeback. The Munster champions, before Sunday, lost just one game this season – to Donegal in the qualifiers – and the Fossa man had amassed 6-44 before the All-Ireland final, only 13 of those from placed balls. Simply the greatest of his generation.
Ryan O’Donoghue (Mayo)
Rocked up to Croke Park on Sunday with 2-51 to his name and the feeling – for all the talk about Kobe McDonald – was that if the full-forward played well then Mayo had a shout. He did that and more. It’s all about Sam Maguire for Mayo but O’Donoghue will have a man of the match gong and a place in the team of the year for good measure, another All-Star to add to his 2021 award, will follow.
Kobe McDonald (Mayo)
He wants no talk of Australia (and his upcoming move to St Kilda) but the 18-year-old will depart for foreign shores with an incredible legacy in the form of a first All-Ireland title for Mayo since 1951. Lit up the championship with his vision and skill and will be sorely missed. Refused to let a couple of dodgy moments early in the final get to him and stood up when it counted. Gaelic football’s loss will be Aussie Rules’ gain.
Conor Neville’s pre-match dystopian vision of life after Kobe hits home even harder now.
The panel take us through their picks for the Sunday Game Team of the Year#SundayGame pic.twitter.com/ESWBzIVXO7
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 26, 2026