A game in which heroes are made

Prior to 1975, Kerry and Dublin had met in the senior football championship 13 times in 90 years. Between ’75 and ’85, the rivalry exploded into life. Mick O’Dwyer and Kevin Heffernan’s legendary teams faced each other seven times in 11 seasons, with Kerry winning five times and Dublin twice. The sides captured ten All-Ireland titles between them during this spell (Kerry 7 Dublin 3).

After ’85, there was no Kerry-Dublin clash in the championship until 2001, when Kerry advanced to the All-Ireland semi-final after a replay.

The Kingdom won the other four matches in the 2000s before Dublin took over and won five out of six in the 2010s (the drawn final in 2019 was the best result Kerry could manage).

Fans in this part of the world will be hoping that last year’s semi-final victory is the start of new decade of dominance over their fiercest rivals. The 2023 final has the potential to set the tone.

Sunday’s match will be the 20th Kerry-Dublin encounter since the fuse was lit in 1975. Here are the players who emerged as heroes in the last 19 fixtures.

1975: A young Kerry team went into this final as underdogs but a neatly taken first-half goal by John Egan set them up for an unexpected 2-12 to 0-11 win.

1976: The Dubs bounced back in major way in the 1976 final, thanks in part to a postage stamp penalty by their iconic full forward Jimmy Keaveney.

1977: Kerry’s victory in 1975 was beginning to look like a flash in the pan by the end of 1977. A memorable goal by rampaging midfielder Bernard Brogan contributed to another comfortable Dublin win in the semi-final.

1978: The pressure was on O’Dwyer in ’78. Defeat against Dublin in the final would more than likely have led to his dismissal, but Mikey Sheehy’s impudent chip over the head of Paddy Cullen propelled Kerry towards a massive 5-11 to 0-9 win.

1979: Stacks man Sheehy was to the fore again the following year. His powerful strike in the 10th minute of the final sent Kerry on their way.

1984: After a five-year gap, the sides met again in the ’84 final. Dublin were the reigning champions but a monster point by Eoin ‘Bomber’ Liston clinched it for The Kingdom.

1985: Timmy O’Dowd’s aesthetically pleasing goal was crucial as Kerry retained their title with a four-point win over Dublin in the decider.

2001: An incredible equaliser from a sideline kick by Maurice Fitzgerald snatched a draw in the All-Ireland quarter-final in Thurles.

2001: Glenflesk star Johnny Crowley bagged two goals in the replay. The second opened up an unassailable nine-point lead.

2004: When Colm Cooper hit the post, Dara Ó Cinnéide pounced to finish off the rebound as Kerry once again saw off Dublin at the quarter-final stage.

2007: A tidy turn and finish by Man of the Match Declan O’Sullivan proved to be the difference in this semi-final. Kerry won by 1-15 to 0-16.

2009: Mike McCarthy teed up Colm Cooper just 40 seconds into this quarter-final and the legendary corner forward made no mistake from close range. Dublin’s “startled earwigs” fell to a disheartening 17-point loss.

2011: Dublin goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton clinched his county’s first All-Ireland in 16 years with a last-minute free.

2013: A lucky Kevin McMenamon goal gave the Dubs an unexpected and insurmountable lead late on in the 2013 semi-final.

2015: Dublin pulled away in this final, thanks in part to a late, left-footed point by Alan Brogan.

2016: A beauty by Diarmuid Connolly was the insurance point in this semi-final as the Dubs ran out 0-22 to 2-14 winners.

2019: A 74th-minute leveller by Dean Rock sent the final to a replay.

2019: A goal directly from the second-half throw-in by marauding defender Eoin Murchan was the turning point as Dublin secured the first ever five-in-a-row.

2022: Kerry claimed their first victory over Dublin since 2009 when Seánie O’Shea pointed a long-range free with the last act of this semi-final. Jack O’Connor’s men went to on win their first All-Ireland in eight years. Who will write their name into the history books on Sunday?