Castlebar Mitchels are Mayo senior football champions for the third year in-a-row after seeing off Ballintubber's challenge in Elverys MacHale Park today.

The holders - who only qualified for the final after defeating Garrymore in their semi-final replay last Wednesday - had two points to spare (0-15 to 0-13) at the final whistle.

Ballintubber's chances weren't helped by the 67^th minute dismissal of Mayo captain Cillian O'Connor for a second yellow card offence.

In his absence, full-back Mitchel's full-back Ger McDonagh roamed forward to give his team the lead in injury-time before a David Stenson free gave them additional breathing space.

Backed by the elements in the opening period, O'Connor & Co shaded the first-half exchanges by 0-9 to 0-7 but they found themselves 0-10 to 0-11 in arrears at the three-quarter mark.

Points from Alan Dillon (free) and Diarmuid O'Connor levelled matters entering injury-time but it was the Castlebar men who found an extra gear to seize the victory thanks to McDonagh's and Stenson's late interventions.

Castlebar Mitchels - R Byrne; J Maughan, G McDonagh (0-2), S Irwin; P Durcan, D Newcombe, E O'Reilly (0-1); A Walsh, B Moran (0-3); R O'Malley, D Kirby (0-1), C Costello; J Durcan (0-2), N Douglas (0-1), D Stenson (0-5, 4f). Subs: C Kyne for J Durcan (BC), N McCarney for S Irwin.

Ballintubber - B Walsh; B Murphy, G Loftus, D Clarke; M Kelly, M Plunkett (0-1), D Coleman (0-1); J Gibbons (0-1), D Geraghty; P O'Connor, A Dillon (0-1f), D O'Connor (0-1); A Plunkett (0-2), C O'Connor (0-6, 5f), S O'Malley. Subs: S Broderick for S O'Malley, J Geraghty for G Loftus.

Referee - D Corcoran.

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