Stephen Cluxton: 7
Appeared on the verge of another temporary nervous breakdown, just five minutes in, kicking ‘out’ over the sideline, aiming for John Small. Steadied a bit later, mixing the shorter with the long. Nothing to do in the shot-stopping front, yet lacked some authority, especially late on, when a little more ambition might have helped Dublin over the line.
Philly McMahon: 6
Ragged and often inglorious, struggled with increasing concern to contain the likes of Cillian O’Connor and Jason Doherty, while failing to shift into attacking mode himself. Well short of the performance in last year’s final, when he kept Colm Cooper scoreless, and guilty of one desperate turnover late on, which resulted in the 64th-minute equaliser by Alan Dillon.
Jonny Cooper: 8
His one-on-one combat still his strength, held his own throughout and certainly avoided any great sense that Rory O’Carroll’s absence was felt on the day. Dublin’s best defender on the day.
David Byrne: 5
Solid at times but always a little nervy too, his first All-Ireland final quite possibly playing a part in that. Again will feel there is considerable improvement for the replay, though found himself replaced on 66 minutes by Darren Daly, and Jim Gavin may force some changes from the start next time.
James McCarthy: 5
Didn’t look happy from the start, for whatever reason, the conditions not seeming to help, then took himself out of the game completely after just 23 minutes when running into trouble with Cillian O’Connor, picking up a black card in the process. Replays suggested O’Connor may have stepped into his path, McCarthy’s face clearly suggesting his dissatisfaction.
Cian O’Sullivan: 8
The steady ship in an otherwise mostly unsettled Dublin defence, calm and alert as usual, and lasted with consistency too. Might have explored a few more attacking options, especially late on, when instead Dublin appeared grounded by their own lack of creativity, retreating into their own space.
John Small: 7
Found himself on and chasing a lot ball, to mostly good effect, and remained mostly unnerved by what was his first All-Ireland final appearance. Highlight his game with a brilliant point in the 66th minute, not long after Alan Dillon had drawn level, the pity for Dublin being more players didn’t match the audacity.
Brian Fenton: 8
Picked up where he left off in last year’s final, running rings around midfield and fetching reels of possession in the process. Still in contention for Player of the Year after his performance, his 50th minute point, magnificently struck, coming at a time when Dublin needed it most.
Michael Darragh Macauley: 6
Like so many big day players found his form abandoned him at times, threw his weight around alright but not always in the creative way. Got himself booked in the 45th minute and not long after that replaced by Mick Fitzsimons, although can only improve the next day
Paul Flynn: 5
Masked and anonymous for much of the game, had one shot at goal in the first half which drifted wide, and set the trend of his game. Covered and blocked as usual but his influence wasn’t lasting, and also replaced late on by Denis Bastick.
Kevin McManamon: 5
Maybe the pressure of the starting place got to him because never truly settled, running into trouble with referee Conor Lane early on and booked after four minutes. That upset his game further and found himself the first man officially replaced (after James McCarthy’s black card) by Paul Mannion, whose own display fell equally short of the desired level.
Ciarán Kilkenny: 6
Ran with typical pace and precision and won buckets of possession yet so much of it went down the wrong alley. Also guilty of a wide in the first half when Dublin were keen for a score, and later on couldn’t back himself for a shot at goal when Dublin desperate for anything.
Dean Rock: 6
The model of consistency suddenly gone wrong, his near perfect conversion rate abandoning him when he needed it most. Worse still hit one short as well, and while wet conditions didn’t help, his three first-half wides clearly upset Dublin’s game plan. Bought some redemption with a cool-as free on 67 minutes, taken from the hands, but his replay preparations now all about restoring confidence.
Diarmuid Connolly: 7
Far from his finest game and yet so nearly delivered a winner for Dublin, his brilliant strike back from Mayo’s poor kick-out in the 68th minute leaving them seemingly poised for victory, and one can imagine the headlines had his later sideline kick gone over the bar, instead of drifting just wide.
Bernard Brogan: 5
For the man renowned for performing in big day finals this is one to forget, and while he can take some credit for Mayo’s first own goal, his shot knocked in by Kevin McLoughlin instead of going wide, not much else left his boot as intended either. Gone after 60 minutes too, replaced by Eoghan O’Gara.
Replacements: 6
Paddy Andrews certainly made an impact with two points from play not long after coming on for the black-carded James McCarthy, but everyone else felt running repairs which couldn’t quite fix Dublin’s on-field problems.
