Mayo v Kerry league final fixture details confirmed

The Allianz NFL Division 1 league final between Mayo and Kerry will be played on Sunday next, March 30, at 4 p.m. in Croke Park, Dublin, the GAA has confirmed.

The game will be decided on the day, so extra time and penalties will come into play, if necessary.

Mayo confirmed their place in the final with a 1-18 to 1-16 victory over Donegal in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar, on Sunday afternoon.

That result left them top of the table but the league standing were so close that if Mayo had been defeated, they would have suffered relegation as the second bottom team, with Donegal going on to contest the final in their stead.

Kerry, meanwhile, had a good win over Galway in Salthill as they build steadily for a long run in the championship.

“Look, I’m delighted,” said Kerry manager Jack O'Connor. “A couple of weeks ago we were staring relegation in the face before the Armagh game. It’s a big turnaround, that’s all I say.”

His Mayo counterpart, Kevin McStay, is also happy to be in the final. “We look on the league as seven tough games and we got an awful lot out of it. We developed as a group and certainly built out our capacity and got a lot of things out of the league.

“We have found the best way to navigate is one day and one game at a time. Now, what a game (league final) to have at this time of the year. It is a fantastic game to have, and fantastic preparation.

“It really sends the league to bed on a national stage in Croke Park. Then we'll get ready for the championship game thereafter.

“That's the way we've approached it since we became the management team, and it's not going to change. Our stall was well set out during the week. Two points were on offer, and we were going after the two points, and everything else would look after itself.

“Now, as we have done with each of our league games, we will focus on just the Kerry game and nothing else.”