Peak decade of the Dubs
1977 All-Ireland semi-final, Croke Park
Dublin 3-12 Kerry 1-13
This All-Ireland semi-final has become nearly the most famous of the counties’ meetings. If, as Kerry people point out, any time they get beaten is almost instantly elevated to the status of a classic, this encounter was the original of the species.
In the background inner-city crime didn’t appear much better than nowadays. It was announced that match programmes would only be sold inside the ground, as schoolboy sellers had been set upon and robbed of their proceeds on a number of occasions that year.
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There were 54,974 in attendance for a match that Kerry were narrowly favoured to win, having beaten the champions in the league final that spring. That’s the way it was playing out, as they led 1-6 to 0-6 at half-time.
With less than 10 minutes to go, the lead was down to 1-13 to 1-11 but a massive surge between then and the end saw David Hickey and Bernard Brogan scores goals, topped off by a point from captain and player-manager Tony Hanahoe.
They went on the beat Armagh in the final, 5-12 to 3-6 but the semi-final win was the last time Dublin would beat Kerry in championship for another 34 years.
Numbers game
2: Just a century after the 1923 All-Ireland, we come to what is only the second final between Dublin and Kerry for a championship year ending in 3. It was noted during the Covid crisis of 2020 that the GAA had never failed to run a championship in the 20th century and beyond. The political turbulence of the period meant that it was played in 1924 but still in the record books counts as the 1923 championship.
In words
“Was I aware of it? Lookit, there’s no one harder on Kerry than our own people. I mean, the narrative all year was that we don’t have a midfield. I thought the two boys did really well out there today. But sure, if people write us off, we’re only delighted with that, it suits us”
— – Jack O’Connor, not the first manager to protest at the unforgiving standards of Kerry supporters, after the big win over Tyrone in the All-Ireland quarter-final
Screen test
Last weekend’s television audience for the All-Ireland hurling final averaged at 830,000 but more will be expected from the coming weekend’s football final, traditionally one of the most watched programmes of the year.
Last year’s Kerry-Galway came in as 872,000 and was second only to the Late Late Toy Show, the perennial ratings topper. Dublin and Kerry have however performed particularly strongly in this category in recent years.
Twelve years ago, Dublin’s last-minute winner from Stephen Cluxton was watched by an average of 1,085,000, coming third that year after the Toy Show and the Eurovision, featuring Jedward.
In 2015, there was a bit of a slump with just 882,000 watching, an audience that finished in fifth place, behind three of Ireland’s Rugby World Cup matches the same year.
Matters were restored in 2019 when the replayed final attracted 991,000 viewers and finished second with the drawn encounter getting only slightly fewer, 986,000.
Top scoring
Just five players in the past 20 years have managed to combine being the championship’s top scorer with a Celtic Cross medal: Dean Rock (2016), Colm McFadden (2012), Colm Cooper (2009), Stephen O’Neill (2005) and Peter Canavan (2003).
Despite the All-Ireland hardship suffered by Mayo, they have provided the top scorer in six of the 20 years – on five occasions, Cillian O’Connor. Dublin with eight Sam Maguires have only Dean Rock as top scorer in any of their winning years.
O’Connor is also the only player to average double figures for a championship, bringing in 5-40 from five matches in the winter of 2020 for 0-11.
Kerry’s David Clifford looks on course to top this year’s charts, just 0-4 behind Derry’s Shane McGuigan with Sunday to come. He might want to think about that.
Top SFC scorers over 20 years
Year: Total scored/Matches played/Average score per game
2022: Shane Walsh (Galway) 1-36/6/6.5
2021: Seán O’Shea (Kerry) 2-29/4/8.75
2020: Cillian O’Connor (Mayo) 5-40/5/11
2019: Cathal McShane (Tyrone) 3-49/9/6.6
2018: Conor McManus (Monaghan) 2-47/9/5.9
2017: Cillian O’Connor (Mayo) 3-66/10/7.5
2016: Dean Rock (Dublin) 1-58/7/8.7
2015: Cillian O’Connor (Mayo) 3-34/5/8.6
2014: Cillian O’Connor (Mayo) 5-36/6/8.5
2013: Cillian O’Connor (Mayo) 6-22/5/8
2012: Colm McFadden (Donegal) 4-32/7/6.3
2011: Colm Cooper (Kerry) 2-27/6/5.5
2010: John Doyle (Kildare) 1-49/8/6.5
2009: Colm Cooper (Kerry) 1-34/7/5.3
2008: John Doyle (Kildare) 2-26/5/6.4
2007: James Masters (Cork) 3-30/6/6.5
2006: Conor Mortimer (Mayo) 1-35/7/5.75
2005: Stephen O’Neill (Tyrone) 5-49/9/7.1
2004: Matty Forde (Wexford) 3-38/5/9.4
2003: Peter Canavan (Tyrone) 1-48/8/6.75
