1996 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

1996 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Champions
Winning team Meath (6th win)
Provincial Champions
Munster Kerry
Leinster Meath
Ulster Tyrone
Connacht Mayo
Championship statistics
Player of the Year Martin O'Connell (footballer)
1995
1997

The 1996 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was played from May to September 1996. Meath defeated Mayo in the final after a replay. The replay encounter is famous for the massive brawl between players of both teams after only five minutes of the challenge.

Provincial championships

Munster Senior Football Championship

12 May 1996
Quarter Final
Cork 2-19 – 1-6 Limerick
Report

19 May 1996
Quarter Final
Kerry 2-15 – 1-7 Tipperary
Report

22 June 1996
Semi Final
Kerry 3-16 - 0-8 Waterford
Report

23 June 1996
Semi Final
Cork 1-7 - 0-10 Clare
Report

30 June 1996
Semi Final Replay
Cork 2-16 - 1-16 Clare
Report

21 July 1996
Final
Kerry 0-14 - 0-11 Cork
Report

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
 Kerry 2-15  
 Tipperary 1-7      Kerry 3-16  
          Waterford 0-8  
            Kerry 0-14
            Cork 0-11
          Clare 1-16
 Cork 2-19      Cork 2-16    
 Limerick 1-6  

Leinster Senior Football Championship

1996
1st Preliminary Round
Carlow 4-17 – 1-11 Wexford
Report

1996
2nd Preliminary Round
Carlow 3-10 – 2-10 Wicklow
Report

9 June 1996
Quarter Final
Louth 3-8 - 0-12 Offaly
Report
Navan
Attendance: 27000
Referee: Pat Casserley

16 June 1996
Quarter Final
Meath 0-24 – 0-6 Carlow
T Giles 0-7, E Kelly 0-5, B Reilly 0-3, B Callaghan 0-3, T Dowd 0-2, G Geraghty, P Reynolds, M Reilly, D Curtis 0-1 each. Report A Keating 0-4, N Doyle 0-1, J Hayden 0-1

16 June 1996
Quarter Final
Laois 3-9 - 0-13 Kildare
Report

1996
Quarter Final
Westmeath 0-11 - 1-18 Dublin
Report

7 July 1996
Semi Final
Meath 2-14 - 1-9 Laois
Report

1996
Semi Final
Dublin 1-9 - 0-8 Louth
Report

28 July 1996
Final
Meath 0-10 - 0-8 Dublin
Report

1st Preliminary Round 2nd Preliminary Round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
 Carlow 4-17  
 Wexford 1-11      Carlow 3-10  
          Wicklow 2-10  
            Meath 0-24  
          Carlow 0-6  
               
               
            Meath 2-14  
          Laois 1-9  
               
               
          Laois 3-9
          Kildare 0-13  
               
               
            Meath 0-10
          Dublin 0-8
             
               
          Westmeath 0-11
          Dublin 1-18  
               
               
          Dublin 1-9  
          Louth 0-8  
                    
                    
          Louth 3-8
          Offaly 0-12  
             
               
      

Connacht Senior Football Championship

26 May 1996
Quarter-final
Galway 1-11 – 1-11 Sligo
Report

2 June 1996
Quarter-final
Mayo 1-11 – 1-5 London
Report

9 June 1996
Quarter-final Replay
Galway 0-19 – 2-7 Sligo
Report

16 June 1996
Semi Final
Galway 2-13 - 2-11 Leitrim
Report

23 June 1996
Semi Final
Mayo 0-14 – 0-10 Roscommon
Report

21 July 1996
Final
Mayo 3-9 - 1-11 Galway
Report
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
 Mayo 1-11  
 London 1-5      Mayo 0-14  
          Roscommon 0-10  
            Mayo 3-9
            Galway 1-11
          Leitrim 2-11
 Galway 0-19      Galway 2-13    
 Sligo 2-7  

Ulster Senior Football Championship

1996
Preliminary Round
Down 1-9 – 0-11 Donegal
Report

1996
Quarter Final
Tyrone 1-18 – 0-9 Fermanagh
Report

1996
Quarter Final
Derry 1-16 - 1-13 Armagh
Report

1996
Quarter Final
Cavan 1-15 - 1-11 Antrim
Report

1996
Quarter Final
Monaghan 0-9 - 0-14 Down
Report

30 June 1996
Semi Final
Tyrone 1-13 - 1-8 Derry
Report

1996
Semi Final
Cavan 0-13 - 1-13 Down
Report

28 July 1996
Final
Tyrone 1-9 - 0-9 Down
Report

Preliminary Round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
      
          Tyrone 1-18  
          Fermanagh 0-9  
            Tyrone 1-13  
            Derry 1-8  
          Derry 1-16  
          Armagh 1-13  
            Tyrone 1-9
            Down 0-9
          Cavan 1-15  
          Antrim 1-11  
            Cavan 0-13  
            Down 1-13  
          Monaghan 0-9       
 Down 1-9      Down 0-14       
 Donegal 0-11  

All-Ireland series

Semi-finals

August 11
Semi-Final
Mayo 2-13 - 1-10 Kerry

August 18
Semi-Final
Meath 2-15 - 0-12 Tyrone

Final

September 15, 1996
Final
Meath 0-12 - 1-9 Mayo

1996 is generally remembered, rightly or wrongly, as the year that Mayo threw it away. Connacht had not seen a champion crowned at Croke Park since Galway in 1966 and after such a barren spell it looked as though Mayo would bridge the yawning gap. Mayo favoured the short passing game whereas Meath were a more direct side. The contrast promised an intriguing game.[1]

To say Mayo dominated the first game would be a severe understatement. Time and time again the westerners approached the Meath goal, only to be stymied by a resolute Royal back line.[1] At the break there points between the teams. The second half continued in the same fashion and such pressure began to tell. With eighteen minutes remaining, Ray Dempsey managed to capitalise on a mistake by the Meath defence and score the only goal of the game. At this point, Mayo held a six point lead over Meath and looked like securing their first All-Ireland title in 45 years.

However, as has happened so often in the past, Meath reacted to such adversity with their indomitable spirit.[1] The final quarter saw Mayo only manage to score one point as Meath slowly reduced the gap. At the final whistle, Mayo fans did not know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Few will forget the unlikely last Meath point as Colm Coyle hoisted a ball towards the Mayo goal, only to see it bounce on the edge of the parallelogram before looping over the crossbar. Meath had snatched a draw at the death and the final would go to a replay.

All-Ireland Final Replay

The replay will be recalled in most minds as the day that a huge brawl broke out after only 5 minutes had gone. It lasted a little over 30 seconds but remains one of the most talked about incidents in GAA history.

A Maurice Sheridan free-kick dropped short in front of the Meath goal and within seconds, a scramble for the ball had turned into a full scale brawl between the teams. A plethora of mean blows were struck in the melee. Just three players in the opposite end of the field; the Mayo goalkeeper John Madden, his full-back Kevin Cahill and Meath full-forward Brendan O'Reilly were not involved. Everyone else had been drawn to that corner of the field between Hill 16 and the Cusack Stand where most of the action took place.[2]

When order was restored, referee Pat McEnaney consulted with his officials was in no doubt about the correct course of action. The net result was the dismissal of Mayo's hugely influential Liam McHale and Meath's saviour the first day Colm Coyle. While the Royal would miss their classy defender there is little doubt that the loss of McHale to Mayo was a bigger body blow, who was man of the match in the drawn game.[2]

As play resumed, there were over sixty minutes left to play in which the Connacht champions led for much of it. Mayo re-organised their formation and gained the upper hand when substitute PJ Loftus struck the first goal of the game near the end of the first-half. However, within a minute of the goal that had put Mayo seven points clear, Meath were given a lifeline. Pat McEnaney awarded Meath a penalty and Trevor Giles kept his cool to strike past John Madden. The goal cut Mayo's interval lead to four points, 1-06 to 1-02.[2]

Mayo dug deep to sustain their lead in the second half but Meath managed to take the lead against the run of play late on. The turning point came when Pat Holmes fouled Graham Geraghty, and the Meath wing forward slipped a quick free into Dowd, who slid the ball to the net. The goal put Meath one point clear and with five minutes left to go, it was still neck and neck. Brendan O'Reilly scored a point that sealed victory at the very death for the Royal county, despite a last-gasp Mayo onslaught.[2] A young Jason Gill was left heartbroken after the match and vowed never to play football again for his beloved Kiltimagh. Gill went on to have a successful handball career touring America.

Meath
Gold and Green Shirts/Green Shorts/Green Socks
2-09 - 1-11
(final score after 70 minutes)
Mayo
Green and Red shirts/White shorts/Red socks
Manager: Sean Boylan

Team:
Conor Martin(GK)
Mark O’Reilly
Darren Fay
Martin O’Connell
Colm Coyle
Enda McManus
Paddy Reynolds
Jimmy McGuinness
John McDermott
Trevor Giles
Tommy Dowd (Capt.)
Graham Geraghty
Colm Brady
Brendan Reilly
Barry Callaghan


Substitutes:
John Devine, Ollie Murphy

Half-time:
1-02 - 1-06

Competition:
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
(Final Replay)

Date:
15.30 BST
Sunday, 29 September, 1996

Venue:
Croke Park, Dublin

Attendance:
?

Referee:
Pat McEnaney

Match rules:
70 minutes.
Replay if scores still level.
Maximum of 3 substitutions.

Manager: John Maughan

Team:
John Madden (GK)
D Flanagan
Kevin Cahill
Kenneth Mortimer
Pat Holmes
James Nallen
Noel Connelly (Capt.)
Liam McHale
David Brady
James Horan
Colm McManamon
Maurice Sheridan
Ray Dempsey
John Casey
A Finnerty


Substitutes:
PJ Loftus, Pat Fallon, T Reilly, J Gill

References