1989 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final

Match

Summary

In what is regarded as one of the best and most entertaining finals of its era, the Cork and Mayo All-Ireland decider provided "great fun at a time when football badly needed some". Cork entered the game hoping to avoid the unwanted accolade of becoming the first team in almost fifty years to lose three successive All-Ireland finals. Inspired by this they got off to a great start with three quick points before Mayo settled into the match. At half time Cork led by 0–10 to 0–8.

Mayo were rejuvenated after the interval. An Anthony Finnerty goal in the 38th minute gave Mayo a brief lead. Finnerty's goal looked as though it might swing the tide in Mayo's favour. Cork hit back to equalize through Dave Barry and a brace of scores from John Cleary handed the Rebels the initiative. Mayo's Noel Durkan set Finnerty free again minutes later, however, in a key turning point of the game, he planted his shot into the side-netting. Mayo failed to score for the last sixteen minutes as Mick McCarthy and Teddy McCarthy kicked over the final points of the game.

Cork's All-Ireland SFC victory was their first since 1973. The win gave them their fifth All-Ireland title over all and put them joint fourth on the all-time roll of honour along with Meath, Cavan and Wexford.

The team Mayo selected for the 1989 All-Ireland SFC final was full of players more accustomed to the role of midfielder than anything else, e.g. T. J. Kilgallon at centre-back and Greg Maher at wing-forward.

Mayo were appearing in their first All-Ireland SFC final since they triumphed in 1951. Defeat at the hands of Cork was the first of eleven All-Ireland defeats along two draws from thirteen final apperances between 1989 and 2021.

Details

Cork

• 1 J. Kerins
• 2 N. Cahalane
• 3 S. O'Brien
• 4 J. Kerrigan
• 5 M. Slocum
• 6 C. Counihan
• 7 T. Davis
• 8 T. McCarthy
• 9 S. Fahy
• 10 D. Barry
• 11 L. Tompkins
• 12 B. Coffey
• 13 P. McGrath
• 14 D. Allen (c)
• 15 J. Cleary

;Subs used : 21 J. O'Driscoll for B. Coffey : 20 M. McCarthy for S. Fahy : 19 D. Culloty for J. Cleary

;Subs not used : 16 M. Maguire : 17 T. Nation : 18 D. Walsh : 22 M. Burns : 23 C. O'Neill : 24 E. O'Mahony

;Manager : B. Morgan

Mayo

• 1 G. Irwin
• 2 J. Browne
• 3 P. Ford
• 4 D. Flanagan
• 5 M. Collins
• 6 T. J. Kilgallon
• 7 J. Finn
• 8 S. Maher
• 9 L. McHale
• 10 G. Maher
• 11 W. J. Padden
• 12 N. Durkin
• 13 M. Fitzmaurice
• 14 J. Burke
• 15 K. McStay

;Subs used : 18 A. Finnerty for J. Burke : 20 R. Dempsey for S. Maher : 22 B. Kilkelly for G. Maher

;Subs not used : 16 E. Lavin : 17 D. Kearney : 19 M. Feeney : 21 M. Carney : 23 P. Holmes : 24 T. Grady

;Manager : J. O'Mahony

References

References

1. Carey, Daniel. (14 September 2009). "1989: One that got away for Mayo". The Mayo News.
2. (29 July 2011). "Down memory lane: A potted history of Cork v Mayo". The 42.
3. (16 September 2014). "Jubilee Team: Cork 1989". GAA website.
4. Crowe, Dermot. (26 June 2022). "Mayo must alter a losing formula". [[Sunday Independent (Ireland).