Kerry march on to All-Ireland final but need rub of the green to overcome Dublin

Kerry has secured a spot in the All-Ireland final, but their semi-final victory over Dublin was far from a dazzling display. The champions edged out Dublin with a score of 2-18 to 0-20, a margin that reflected a closely contested match where Dublin consistently challenged Kerry's dominance.

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There is resigned acceptance in Kerry that for these matches to be judged ‘classics,’ Dublin have to win but such scratchiness aside, this wasn’t an exemplar of the genre.

While Kerry will be content to have navigated the semi-final, the performance was described as scratchy, lacking the brilliance expected of a classic encounter. Dublin, having endured a difficult start to their season, will be disappointed to have come so close yet fallen short, particularly due to a couple of contentious decisions that went against them.

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The champions will be happy though to have negotiated the semi-final but made hard work of it.

Kerry's victory was significantly influenced by the Clifford brothers. Paudie Clifford was given considerable freedom beyond the 40-meter line, contributing 0-5 and providing crucial assists. David Clifford, despite facing tight marking from Dublin's David Byrne, still managed to score 1-5, with his goal coming from a penalty. Dublin's defense was effective inside the scoring arc, limiting goal-scoring opportunities, though the two goals conceded were met with questions about officiating.

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Dublin will be glad to have turned around their season after a terrible start but equally, a bit vexed at a couple of decisions that went against them and were, given the four-point margin, consequential.