Dublin are All Ireland football champions once again after beating Kerry by two points in a gripping final at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon.
Injury time points from Paul Mannion and Dean Rock handed Dessie Farrell's side their first All Ireland title since 2020 and their ninth title in the last 13 years.
Kerry led by three points with just over 20 minutes remaining thanks to Paul Geaney's well-taken goal, but Paddy Small's deflected shot following an avoidable Kerry turnover gave the Dubs a much-needed lifeline.
Farrell's side outscored Kerry by seven points to two in the last 19 minutes to edge out an enthralling contest between the two heavyweights of Gaelic football.
It was Dublin who made the better start, taking the lead through a Stephen Cluxton '45. The veteran goalkeeper had stepped away from inter-county football for each of the last two seasons but has made a triumphant return to the Dublin team this year.
Kerry drew level thanks to a superb point from David Clifford before Paul Mannion, another veteran returning after a two-year hiatus, split the posts to nudge Dublin back in front.
Both defenses were very much on top, both sides making uncharacteristic mistakes in attack on a wet and dreary day at GAA headquarters.
Seanie O'Shea kicked a routine free to draw Kerry level, but Dublin went back in front almost immediately when Brian Fenton clipped over a delightful point.
Kerry leveled again through an O'Shea free before scores from Cormac Costello and Mannion gave Dublin a two-point buffer.
O'Shea scored his only point from play to halve the deficit, but Cluxton fired over another long-range free to re-establish Dublin's two-point lead with half-time looming large.
Clifford, the bookie's favorite for player of the year, had been kept quiet by the magnificent Michael Fitzsimons during an intense and physical first half and there appeared to be nothing on when the Kerry star collected a pass in the corner.
Clifford, however, fired a magnificent pass into Paul Geaney, who dummied his way around Davy Byrne and finished past Cluxton to give Kerry a one-point lead on the stroke of half-time. Amazingly, it was the first goal that Cluxton has conceded since 2019, a run of 14 games.
Dublin drew level after the break through a neatly-taken Brian Howard point, but Kerry began to take control thereafter.
O'Shea pointed a close-range free to nudge the Kingdom back ahead before Dublin's Con O'Callaghan rattled the crossbar from 10 yards.
Kerry made Dublin pay for that near miss, racing down the other end of the field and pointing through Paudie Clifford to move two clear. A fisted point from Geaney moments later left a goal between the teams.
Colm Basquel, who had been kept quiet in the first half, replied with an excellent left-footed score for Dublin, which was quickly canceled out by a lovely effort from David Clifford.
With Dublin coughing up cheap possession almost every time they attacked the Kerry goal, the game appeared to be Kerry's to lose.
And lose it they did.
Gavin White so a poor pass intercepted by Basquel, who raced through on goal and set up Paddy Small.
Small's right-footed effort was deflected past Shane Ryan by Paul Murphy's desperate attempt at a block.
Watch the Full-Time Highlights of Dublin v Kerry in the 2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final here on #GAANOW pic.twitter.com/uFRyH0HgHH
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 30, 2023
Kerry responded strongly, however, re-establishing a three-point lead thanks to two points from Paudie Clifford and a simple free from O'Shea.
Staring down the barrel, Dessie Farrell introduced Jack McCaffrey - another returning veteran - off the bench, which seemed to give Dublin the spark they needed in the closing stages.
Regarded as one of the best wing-backs of all time, McCaffrey's blistering pace terrified teams up and down the country when Dublin won six All Ireland titles in a row and he made a huge impact in his first All Ireland final appearance in four years.
Dublin were a different team after McCaffrey's introduction and narrowed the gap to one point thanks to a Paul Mannion free (won by McCaffrey) and another excellent Basquel point.
Referee David Gough awarded Kerry a simple free after calling Fitzsimons for a pull on David Clifford, but later changed his mind after a discussion with his umpires, instead choosing to issue both players a yellow card and throw the ball in.
The decision proved crucial. Dublin won the 50/50 battle and broke at pace, leveling the game through another Mannion point.
They took the lead for the first time in the second half when Fenton kicked his second point of the day, but Kerry pegged them back quickly through substitute Killian Spillane.
Dublin were well on top now, though, and nudged back in front when Small pointed from close range.
David Clifford, lauded as the best player in the country, attempted to get Kerry back into the game but was uncharacteristically wayward.
Marshaled by the exceptional Fitzsimons, Clifford kicked three wides in the second half as well as dropping an effort short.
The Kerry star did manage to shrug off Fitzsimons as the game entered the dying moments, but his effort on goal was high and wide and never looked like troubling Cluxton.
Gough had spotted a foul, however, and O'Shea tapped over the free to draw the sides level in injury time.
Kerry never really looked like gaining the lead and relied on heroic defending to keep Dublin at bay, with substitute Micheál Burns producing an incredible block to deny Basquel a certain point.
Dublin held onto possession, though, and Basquel fed Mannion who fired over his fifth point of the day.
Clifford kicked his final wide of the day in an attempt to drag Kerry level and Dublin sealed a famous victory when Burns fouled Basquel, leaving Dean Rock with an easy free.
There were ecstatic scenes at the full-time whistle as the Dublin players celebrated a first All Ireland title in three years, also gaining revenge on Kerry for a semi-final defeat last year.
For Dublin veterans Cluxton, Fitzsimons, and captain James McCarthy, the win was particularly special.
All three became the first male players to win nine All Ireland football medals, eclipsing the eight medals won by five Kerry players in the 1970s and 1980s. It is simply an incredible achievement by some of the best players to ever play Gaelic football.
Speaking after the game, McCarthy told reporters that "bravery and courage" got Dublin over the line on Sunday.
"We had to fight hard for that," McCarthy said, describing Dublin's two semi-final exits in 2021 and 2022 as a "tough two years".
"There’s an undying loyalty among everyone there after playing for so many years. It all came together perfectly then in the end."
Farrell, who has now guided Dublin to two All Ireland titles in four years as manager, described the win as "immense".
"Some of those senior guys, we’ll never see the likes again. They love playing football," Farrell said "It probably couldn’t have been much better than we’d scripted."
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