BY THE TIME the final whistle sounded, Mayo and Dublin’s 2006 semi-final had already been anointed an instant classic. It took a late piece of Ciaran McDonald magic to settle matters but the drama started long before the first ball was even kicked.
“I didn’t know anything about it,” Conor Mortimer says as he looks back on the teams’ infamous warm-up clash: The Mill at the Hill.
“We just went out to warm up where we were warming up and that was it.”
Was this Mayo’s attempt to gain a psychological edge over a county they had never beaten in the Championship? Whatever their intentions, it stoked an already tense atmosphere and sparked an unforgettable turf war at the Hill 16 end.
Arms linked, Dublin’s players marched down to prepare as usual in front of their famous sea of blue on the Hill. Mayo didn’t budge.
It led to the bizarre sight of both teams warming up in the same half of the pitch while the Canal End remained empty.
INPHO/Donall Farmer
“I think beforehand somebody came in and said Dublin were warming up at that end,” Mortimer says.
I don’t know if it was Mickey [Moran] or [John] Morrison that said ‘we’ll go down the other side.’I think DB [David Brady] said, ‘No, fuck it, we’ll go down that side.’ So then we went down.
“It didn’t make any difference. They came down arm-in-arm, I thought that was a bit much to be honest with you.”
INPHO/Cathal Noonan
Dublin forward Ray Cosgrove, who scored 0-2 that day, said the mind games had no impact but there was no option but to stand their ground.
“We got word off Davy Billings [Dublin selector] that Mayo had gone down to the Hill and at that stage there was no way we were giving an inch in that regard.
It was carnage there for about ten minutes with bodies and balls flying everywhere.
The ‘carnage’ included Paul Caffrey clattering into Mayo trainer John Morrisson, a move which earned the Dublin manager a one-match ban, and an incident which left Mayo dietician Mary McNicolas needing treatment on the pitch as the teams continued to warm up around her.
“The crowd got really behind it,” Cosgrove says of the melee. “I’ll never forget warming up with Coman Goggins doing a blocking drill and I looked around and saw the Mayo dietician sprawled out on the ground.
“I didn’t see what happened and didn’t know did someone hit her or had she got sculled by a ball in the head.”
INPHO/Cathal Noonan
When order was restored and the match started, Dublin took control and opened up a seven-point lead midway through the second half before Mayo gradually reeled them in.
“People will say that had an impact on Dublin,” Mortimer says, “but they were nine or ten points up with about 15 minutes to go so it had nothing to do with their performance.
“We started slowly in the game. We didn’t start that well. At the start of the second half they got a goal and we were staring at the barn door then. We just clawed our way back.”
Refreshing to be honest. Got to respect a guy who puts his family first.
I suspect there’s more behind this decision. He’s 32 – so unlikely to feature at another world cup – plus considering how England demolished the 2nd ranked team in the world in the 6 Nations, you’d have to rank them as amongst pre-tournament favourites. Loss for England – gain for us.
@Juniper: Hon De pool
I don’t know the exact details here but something doesn’t add up. The England camp would always allow for somebody’s personal circumstances like birth of a child. Either there is complications (hopefully not and all the best) or he’s had a falling out with somebody which is prob quite likely given his personality/past.
@Andy Dwyer: Quick question when you say it’s likely he’s had a falling out with someone given his personality/past I’m guessing you know the guy personally and aren’t just basing that on what you see on tv. Because by all accounts he’s a lovely fella off the field. He should be commended for supporting his wife rather than have people jump to conclusions.
@Eddie Hekenui: Ashton said on a podcast recently enough that Eddie Jones wasn’t in contact with him and that he got the impression he was being dropped. This may not have anything to do with him withdrawing from the squad but it’s interesting to note
@Sam Ahern: Fair play to him but I’d say he’s got the impression from Eddie that he’s only making up the numbers being involved in the extended squad.
Or maybe he’s pulling out of camp to look after his pregnant wife like he says he is.
@Eddie Hekenui: I don’t mean to questions his motives, he seems to be really decent guy and to withdraw from the camp for his wife even if he was just making the numbers says a lot about his character
He’s a great player and I’m gutted he won’t be there.
A real family man and you have to admire his stance.
When he came back from France it was all over the place he came back to play in the World Cup:: his wife getting pregnant is something you plan for normally. We all knew when the pre WC sessions were going to start and no doubt he knew ::
My opinion was that he felt he was only in for the numbers and he would much more want to be with his family, then taking that chance.
But this is a Rugby Page so we make some crazy interpations and this is only IMO
so don’t give out to me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!