All-Ireland Football Final: 'No funeral or curse' says Mayo GAA great Loftus as county anticipates final

"It was a very big day. Those medals are special."

Dr Mick Loftus' eyes are firmly fixed on the Celtic Cross All-Ireland Football medal he is gently cupping in his hands.

The 92-year-old retired Crossmolina GP, who went on to referee two All-Ireland Finals and later became president of the GAA, and Paddy Prendergast are the only surviving members of the last Mayo squad to win the Sam Maguire Cup in 1951.

Seventy years on, Dr Mick has almost total recall of their 2-8 to 0-9 victory over Meath and more to the point, the journey back home which again has exercised so many of us this year as Mayo, once more, attempt to end their long famine in the search for Sam.

The story goes that a priest put a curse on Mayo football after the lorry transporting the victorious players failed to pay proper respects to a funeral cortege in the town of Foxford. Supposedly the priest decreed that Mayo would not win another All-Ireland until all members of the team had gone to their eternal rest.

'A bit of hullabaloo'

"There was no funeral. I don't remember any one….let it go boy," says Dr Mick in a gentle but chiding voice, as he only recalls roadside celebrations which he says actually began in the county Roscommon towns of Elphin and Strokestown.

"I often think that's a bit of hullabaloo.

"When we arrived in Ballaghaderreen that's when the celebrations really started. They got a lorry someplace and put us in the back of it and from there down to Ballina, we were in the back of that truck.

"Every town we went through there was cheering and roaring and it was great."

Asked to recall his team-mates, Dr Mick lists them off with scarcely a pause - bar his interjection that Prendergast was the greatest footballer he has ever seen.

"I remember every one of them from the goalie Sean Wynne to the full-forward Tom Langan.

"Everyone of them was a good footballer. There were five in the medical field, either students or qualified and there were four in the religious."

'Wasn't I an awful chancer?'

Four years earlier, Loftus had been part of the Mayo side beaten in the All-Ireland Minor Final by Tyrone.

"We were leading in the first half but we sat on our hunkers and let it go. But no harm," smiles the genial Crossmolina man.

That was his first time in Croke Park but he was back there on countless occasions in his various GAA guises which included his stint in the presidency from 1985 to 1988.

"I often think wasn't I an awful chancer going out there in front of 80,000 people on my own," he laughs of the two All-Ireland Football Finals he refereed in 1965 and 1968, with the latter game seeing him adjudicate over Down's win over Kerry.

There was no HawkEye in those days, suffice to say.

"I went through the whole scene from the bottom right up. Great memories. The people that I got to know - they are friends. From Donegal down to Kerry. Any place I go, somebody comes up to me and talks. It's a great feeling."

Great nephew in Mayo's squad

His decades of medical service in his local community also led to his principled stand over the issue of whether the GAA should accept sponsorship from alcoholic beverages companies and he made headlines in 2000 when he resigned from his presidency role in his own Crossmolina club after it had sought a special drinks licence for the day of a big match.

Seeing the ravages inflicted on many families by alcohol abuse also led the former GAA president to turn down invitations to several All-Ireland Hurling Finals during the period when a well-known drinks firm had become the main sponsor of the competition.

Given that his family are steeped in GAA, it's somehow appropriate the Loftus name will figure in Saturday's Mayo squad in the shape of the good doctor's great nephew Conor.

"He's a good footballer. I doubt he got it from me but he got it some place. He's come on the scene so quickly," adds Dr Mick.

And as to what advice has been passed on?: "Don't get over-excited. Play his game. He's a good fielder of the ball. He won't let us down."

The 1947 minor final between the counties couldn't have been closer as Tyrone edged a 4-4 to 4-3 victory and while a few more points are likely to be kicked at Croke Park on Saturday, Dr Mick expects another tight encounter but with Mayo emerging victorious on this occasion.

"I'd say Mayo by one or two points. I honesty think they will win but it's going to be hard."

Tyrone can raise game from Kerry win - Canavan

While Dr Mick Loftus can be conferred with the term 'Mayo GAA legend', Peter Canavan trumps that in Tyrone with the 'god' label which has remained with him since his incredible GAA performances for the county in the 1990s and noughties.

As in the case with Loftus family, the Canavan clan will be represented in Saturday's decider with Peter's son Darragh being tipped for a crucial impact sub's role at headquarters.

Worryingly from a Mayo point of view, the BBC Championship pundit believes Tyrone can raise their game still further from their epic semi-final win over the Kingdom.

"They still didn't play close to their full potential in my opinion in terms of footballing ability and use of the ball and playing together when in possession," Canavan told BBC Radio Ulster.

"But when they didn't have the ball, their work-rate and tenacity was something to behold.

"The victory was one of the greatest victories Tyrone have had down in Croke Park but there are no medals in their pocket.

"They have it all to do again and there needs to be improvements on the footballing side of things and they need to maintain the level of hunger and aggression they displayed against Kerry because when it comes to wanting an All-Ireland, there's no county that wants it more than Mayo after what they have suffered in recent years."

'Composure in front of goals will be key'

As to what is going to make the difference on Saturday, Canavan immediately pipes up: "composure in front of goals.

"Both teams are pretty strong at playing a running game. If that's the case, we could see spells where there are a lot of bodies back and the central channels are blocked.

"When that happens, forward divisions are going to need patience and their decision-making as regards their shot selection needs to be very good.

"Tyrone struggled at times in their forward division against Kerry. We relied on our defence to come forward - especially in the first half - to kick points.

"But there will be scoring opportunities. There may be one or two goal scoring opportunities. We took ours against Kerry. Kerry didn't. That was the difference. I see the final being no different."