Hello and welcome to our live blog for the All-Ireland final between Kerry and Dublin. 

Kerry are looking to defend Sam Maguire, with 2022 being the first time they’ve won it since 2014. 

Dublin are seeking a first title since 2020, the final year of their six-in-a-row.   

Between them the pair have won 68 All-Ireland titles, 38 to Kerry against Dublin’s 30. This century so far they have accumulated 15 from 23, seven for Kerry, eight for Dublin. Which of these success-starved counties might taste glory this afternoon? 

An enthralling and close contest is expected between these sides, who continue to redefine what it means to be Gaelic football’s big two. Team news to follow shortly. Throw-in is at 3.30pm.  

TEAM NEWS:

Changes on the Dublin team: Ciarán Kilkenny starts in place of Niall Scully, who goes to the bench. Ryan Basquel wears 17. Seán Bugler is out. 

1. Stephen Cluxton (Parnells)

2. Eoin Murchan (Na Fianna), 3. Michael Fitzsimons (Cuala), 4. David Byrne (Naomh Olaf)

5. James McCarthy (Ballymun Kickhams), 6. John Small (Ballymun Kickhams), 7. Lee Gannon (Whitehall Colmcille)

8. Brian Fenton (Raheny), 9. Brian Howard (Raheny)

10. Paddy Small (Ballymun Kickhams), 11. Paul Mannion (Kilmacud Crokes), 18. Ciarán Kilkenny (Castleknock)

13. Cormac Costello (Whitehall Colmcille), 14. Con O’Callaghan (Cuala), 13. Colm Basquel (Ballyboden St-Enda’s)

Subs

• 16. Evan Comerford (Ballymun Kickhams)

• 12. Niall Scully (Templeogue Synge Street)

• 17. Ryan Basquel (Ballyboden Sr Enda’s)

• 18. Ciarán Kilkenny (Castleknock)

• 19. Tom Lahiff (St Judes)

• 20. Seán McMahon (Raheny)

• 21. Jack McCaffrey (Clontarf)

• 22. Ross McGarry (Ballyboden St-Enda’s) 

• 23. Cian Murphy (Thomas Davis)

• 24. Daire Newcombe (Lucan Sarsfields)

• 25. Lorcan O’Dell (Templeogue Synge-Street)

• 26. Dean Rock (Ballymun Kickhams)

Kerry: 

1 Shane Ryan (Rathmore)

2 Graham O’Sullivan (Dromid Pearses), 3 Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue), 4 Tom O’Sullivan (Dingle)

5 Paul Murphy (Rathmore), 6 Tadhg Morley (Templenoe), 7 Gavin White (Dr Crokes)

8 Diarmuid O’Connor (Na Gaeil), 9 Jack Barry (Na Gaeil)

10 Dara Moynihan (Spa Killarney), 11 Seán O’Shea (Kenmare) 12 Stephen O’Brien (Kenmare)

13 Paudie Clifford (Fossa) 14 David Clifford (Fossa), 15 Paul Geaney (Dingle)

Subs

• 16. (GK) Shane Murphy (Dr Crokes)

• 17. Adrian Spillane (Templenoe)

• 18. Brian Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht)

• 19. Mike Breen (Beaufort)

• 20. Barry Dan O’Sullivan (Dingle)

• 21. Ruairí Murphy (Listry)

• 22. Micheál Burns (Dr Crokes)

• 23. Killian Spillane (Templenoe)

• 24. Dylan Casey (Austin Stacks)

• 25. Donal O’Sullivan (Kilgarvan)

• 26. Ronan Buckley (Listry)

The sides parade around Croke Park as the atmosphere builds and builds. Throw-in five minutes away.   

Blue flares blaze on the Hill, but there’s a sizeable Kerry contingent too on the famous terrace. 

O min: Kerry 0-0 Dublin 0-0 The ball is in. Dublin attack the Canal End in the first half. 

1 min: Kerry 0-0 Dublin 0-0 Brian Howard has the day’s first shot, goes wide on the left.  

3 min: Dublin 0-1 Kerry 0-0 Cluxton takes a 45 and nails it. 

4 min: Goal chance for Kerry but Paul Geaney’s shot was cleared off the line by Brian Howard. 

5 min: Dublin 0-1 Kerry 0-1 David Clifford points for Kerry’s first score.  

Michael Fitzsimons is marking Clifford 

9 min: Dublin 0-2 Kerry 0-1 Paul Mannion gets space around 35 metres out and slots it over.   

10 min: Dublin 0-2 Kerry 0-2 Paul Free for Kerry’s Seanie O’Shea after James McCarthy fouls Paudie Clifford. 

11 min: Dublin 0-3 Kerry 0-2 Brian Fenton finds space in a central area and points to restore Dublin’s lead.  

14 min: Dublin 0-3 Kerry 0-3 Another free from O’Shea, this time off the ground, after he was fouled by James McCarthy. Second foul for McCarthy. 

15 min: Dublin 0-4 Kerry 0-3 Free from Cormac Costello.  

18 mins: Lee Gannon given a yellow card for taking out Kerry goalkeeper Shane Ryan while the ball was in the air. Ryan is up and ok. 

21 min: Dublin 0-4 Kerry 0-3 Wide from Gannon, after a spell of Dublin possession which begins with Howard collecting another Cluxton short kickout. 

23 min: Dublin 0-5 Kerry 0-3 Excellent point from Mannion from a Dublin break which started when Kerry, slow in their build-up, were turned over, Gavin White losing the ball. 

25 mins: Colm Basquel on a yellow now after a clash of heads with Paul Geaney. 

26 mins: Paul Mannion finds Con O’Callaghan inside with a well-flighted ball in but it’s an uncharacteristic wide from Con. 

28 min: Dublin 0-5 Kerry 0-4 Third point from Seanie O’Shea. 

30 min: Dublin 0-5 Kerry 0-4 Wide from Seanie O’Shea from a free. Paddy Small gets a yellow for a high challenge on Stephen O’Brien. 

Huge roar from the Hill as Clifford is dispossessed while closing in on goal. 

34 mins: Most unusual, a wide from David Clifford after Gavin White makes tremendous progress out of defence. Defences are working hard. 

36 min: Dublin 0-6 Kerry 0-4 Cluxton up for another free, just outside the 45, routinely dispatched.  

GOAL FOR KERRY! 
Paul Geaney finds the net after a magnificent pass from Clifford in the corner. 

Half-time: Dublin 0-6 Kerry 1-4 Kerry lead at the break thanks to Geaney’s late strike. He looked like he’d fluffed his lines but regained his composure to slot his chance away. The assist from Clifford was a rare combination of vision and execution.   

It’s been an intense, tactical and nervy first half. Very much anybody’s final. 

Here’s the goal: 

The final has been slow to come to life but a stunning pass from David Clifford and Paul Geaney's finish puts Kerry ahead just before the break. pic.twitter.com/ktH7EVfSy7

— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 30, 2023

And the second half is on. 

36 min: Dublin 0-7 Kerry 1-4 Brian Howard gets Dublin level again. Big score after a series of turnovers. 

38 min: Dublin 0-7 Kerry 1-5 David Clifford gets an easy free to put Kerry ahead again. Free moved in after Costello protests.   

39 min: Poor wide by Mannion after he made ground down the right.

40 min: Dublin 0-7 Kerry 1-6 Con O’Callaghan fields a high ball in from Gannon and rattles the bar. No thought of a mark, he’s going for goal. Paudie Clifford then points at the other end.  

44 min: Dublin 0-8 Kerry 1-8 Geaney fisted point. A goal gap is cut back to two points Basquel. Clifford then restores the goal gap.  

GOAL FOR DUBLIN
Paddy Small into the Hill 16 end.  

46 min: Kerry 1-8 Dublin 1-8  Paul Murphy gets a half block on Small’s shot but it’s not enough. Level again. 

48 min: Kerry 1-9 Dublin 1-8 Free by Seanie O’Shea. Jack McCaffrey on for Dublin. Gannon off.  

48 min: Kerry 1-10 Dublin 1-8 Fisted point by Paudie Clifford. 

Dublin wanted a free at the other end after McCarthy lost possession. 

51 min: Kerry 1-11 Dublin 1-8 Paudie Clifford again, after Shane Ryan comes up from goal to create space. 

52 min: Kerry 1-11 Dublin 1-9 Paul Mannion from a free. Paudie Clifford yellow carded. 

Cormac Costello is off, Niall Scully on for Dublin. 

54 min: Kerry 1-11 Dublin 1-10 Colm Basquel brings Dublin to within one. 

56 min: Kerry 1-11 Dublin 1-11 Mannion equalises. David Clifford and Mick Fitzsimons both get a yellow at the other end, and a free to Kerry is overturned, resulting in a hop ball which leads to Dublin’s score. 

David Clifford wide from close range, a big miss for Kerry. 

58 mins: James McCarthy on a yellow after a big hit. Advantage is played but Kerry fail to capitalise, Killian Spillane, on as a sub, losing possession. 

62 min: Kerry 1-11 Dublin 1-11 David Clifford shoots wide from distance under pressure from Fitzsimons. Kerry lacking a little composure at the minute.  

64 min: Kerry 1-11 Dublin 1-12 And Dublin hit the front through Brian Fenton.   

66 min: Kerry 1-12 Dublin 1-13 Superb settling point from Killian Spillane, under pressure. Paddy Smalls immediately responds for Dublin.  

68 min: Kerry 1-12 Dublin 1-13 Dean Rock on for Dublin, Paddy Small off. 

There will be 6 added minutes 

70 min: Kerry 1-13 Dublin 1-13 Free from O’Shea after Fitzsimons tugs Clifford’s jersey.  

Wide from Mannion, unusually tired looking shot from him. 

73 min: Kerry 1-13 Dublin 1-14 Mannion point  

74 min: Kerry 1-13 Dublin 1-14 David Clifford shoots wide again. 

75 min: Dublin 1-15 Kerry 1-13 Dean Rock from a free with seconds left. 

It’s all over! 

Full-time: Dublin 1-15 Kerry 1-13 

David Gough does not allow anything beyond the six added minutes. 

It’s a ninth medal for Fitzsimons, McCarthy and Cluxton. 

All-Ireland No 31 for Dublin, and first since 2020. 

Dublin were the more composed and focussed side in the final quarter, as Kerry’s challenge faded. 

It was an absorbing final; attritional, cagey, intense. Ultimately it was won by the side with the greater cumulative experience of winning big games. Of all of those experienced players, special mention should go to Fitzsimons, who carried out the most difficult job in football in keeping David Clifford relatively quiet.   

Heartbreak for Kerry, as James McCarthy from Ballymun is presented with Sam Maguire. 

That’s it for our live blog. Thanks for reading. Lots of reporting, reaction and analysis on the way in the next short while from Croke Park.