The Championship

In the last three things of the season, we learned that the Dubs are made of stern stuff, the referee's judgement was questionable and that Kieran Donaghy has still got it.

By Conor Heneghan

This Dubs team are made of sterner stuff

For all the talk about the fact that we will never hear the end of this particular All-Ireland success, Dubs’ fans can legitimately argue that they were repeatedly labelled with the ‘chokers’ tag and claims that they would eventually succumb to the hype and the pressure before the throw-in yesterday.

And for some time in the second half, it looked as if that would indeed be the case. From the 40th minute to the 63rd minute, Kerry outscored Dublin by 0-6 to 0-1 and seemed to be handing out a lesson to the Dubs in how to win an All-Ireland final. Kerry had been there and done it and it would have taken a brave man to deny the distinct possibility that the Kingdom were on their way to a 37th All-Ireland success.

Pat Gilroy’s Dublin team, however, are emboldened with a character that was absent from their predecessors. They never panicked and won the final thanks to a final ten minutes that yielded 1-3 in the most trying of circumstances. Physically, they looked the better of a tiring Kerry outfit in the closing stages, but it was their mental capacity to close the game out that mattered most.

Kevin McManamon, Kevin Nolan, Bernard Brogan and Stephen Cluxton all delivered when required and not even the sight of a wonderful Kieran Donaghy equaliser could deter the Dubs from achieving their All-Ireland dream.

The Dubs are often pilloried for the circus that surrounds them, but they should be lauded loudly and often for this win, which will go down in lore as one of the most exciting All-Ireland finals ever witnessed.

The ref called it wrong

From a Dublin perspective, it might seem like sour grapes to focus on the performance of the man in the middle, but one can’t ignore the fact that Joe McQuillan got a number of crucial calls wrong at headquarters yesterday.

It was an issue that was exacerbated on The Sunday Game last night and although the helter-skelter nature of proceedings and the difficulty of making such crucial decisions in the heat of the moment must be considered, McQuillan must take some responsibility for his poor decisions, the majority of which seemed to go against the losers.

Joe McQuillan didn't have his best day at the office yesterday

Off the top of our heads, frees awarded to Barry Cahill and Ger Brennan in the first half and against Eoin Brosnan in the second half looked a tad controversial, while the free that gave Stephen Cluxton the opportunity to win the All-Ireland was generous considering that the luckless Barry John Keane stood his ground and made no move towards the onrushing Kevin McManamon.

When they eventually reflect on what must have been a soul-destroying loss, the Kerry players and management will look back on a few calls that didn’t go their way in a questionable refereeing performance.

Kieran Donaghy was immense

When The Sunday Game pundits announced their contenders for man of the match last night, it seemed to us that they were ignoring a man who waited until the biggest stage of all to remind all GAA followers just how talented he can be.

What was so notable about Kerry yesterday was how ponderous they were in possession around the middle third, due to the effectiveness of Dublin’s defensive system and their reluctance to let the ball into a forward line surrounded by a sea of blue jerseys.

When they did let the ball in, it paid dividends nearly every time. Kieran Donaghy won nearly every high ball sent into the danger area and would have returned 1-1 from that approach were it not for a marvellous Cian O’Sullivan block in the first half.

At the beginning of the game, Donaghy commanded the middle of the pitch until thrust into the edge of the square and although it will largely be ignored given what followed immediately after, he also scored one of the greatest points ever in an All-Ireland final, especially considering the circumstances.

Kevin Nolan was a worthy man of the match and Bernard Brogan and Bryan Sheehan must be commended for their efforts, but after a poor season overall, Donaghy stood tall yesterday and can be proud of what he gave to the Kerry cause.