Dublin lifted the Sam Maguire Cup for the 25th time on Sunday thanks to a 0-12 to 0-09 win over Kerry at a rain-soaked Croke Park.
With the wet having an adverse effect on the game as a spectacle, the Dubs dealt with the conditions much better than the Kingdom, and a third All-Ireland Senior Football title in five years was their reward.
The weather failed to dampen the spirits of the supporters, in particular those on Hill 16, and we've collected the best snaps of one of the best days in the Irish sporting calendar, which you can view below.
Kerry registered four wides in the opening 12 minutes and Dublin seized the initiative, sensing that Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s men were uncomfortable in their surroundings, although players on both sides were losing their footing and possession all-too frequently.
The difference was, Dublin brought their shooting boots, and they could perhaps have gone in at the break with a healthier lead than four points, but with just three scores apiece on the board after 20 minutes, this was always going to be a low-scoring affair so long as the rain kept falling.
The half-time score was 0-08 to 0-04 in Dublin’s favour and, in the second-half, goal chances came and went for trio Dean Rock, Brian Fenton and Paddy Andrews as the slight favourites threatened to run away with the game.
Despite being in control, Dublin boss Jim Gavin opted to keep things fresh by introducing Kevin McManamon and Michael Darragh Macauley, while Kerry’s target man Kieran Donaghy added a much-needed goal threat when he was brought on for Paul Geaney, who had started the game at his expense.
Donaghy’s aerial ability wasn’t enough to get the Kingdom back into the game, though, as Dublin held onto their lead for the duration of the second-half. Indeed, it was a Dublin substitute who finished off the scoring, with 33-year-old Alan Brogan popping over the insurance point with three minutes remaining.
For Kerry, there was some solace in the fact that their Minors handsomely beat Tipperary 4-14 to 0-06 earlier in the day, but Fitzmaurice admitted after the main event that he will now consider his position as manager of the Kingdom’s senior football panel.
TEAMS
Dublin: S Cluxton (0-01, 0-01f); J Cooper, R O'Carroll, P McMahon (0-01); J McCarthy, C O'Sullivan, J McCaffrey (0-01); B Fenton (0-01), D Bastick; P Flynn (0-02), D Connolly, C Kilkenny; B Brogan (0-02, 0-1f), D Rock (0-02, 0-02f), P Andrews (0-01). Subs: K McManamon for Rock, Michael Darragh Macauley for Bastick, J Cooper for Fitzsimons, J Small for McCaffrey, D Daly for O'Sullivan, A Brogan (0-01) for Fenton
Kerry: B Kealy; F Fitzgerald, A O'Mahony, S Enright; J Lyne (0-01), P Crowley, K Young; A Maher, D Moran; S O'Brien, J Buckley, D Walsh; C Cooper, P Geaney (0-02), J O'Donoghue (0-03). Subs: D O'Sullivan (0-02) for O'Brien, B Sheehan (0-01, 0-01f) for Buckley, K Donaghy for Geaney, P Galvin for Moran, P Murphy for O'Mahony (black card), BJ Keane for O'Donoghue
Referee: D Coldrick (Meath)
