For so long Dublin were unaccustomed to reversals, embarking on a relentless winning run as they monopolised the Leinster championship and generally extended that dominance to the All-Ireland scene.
The mood has shifted. Sunday brought their seventh championship defeat in the space of 24 months – Kerry joining Galway, Meath, Armagh, Tyrone, Westmeath and Louth on the list of conquerors, with six of those occurring in Croke Park.
Sustaining a loss is not a new experience then and yet given their early season struggles, for Dublin to have rebounded as far as the semi-final stage, bowing out against the reigning champions can be interpreted as a sign of progress. A county that lost their manager to a 12-week suspension, slipped down through the Division 1 league trapdoor, were bettered in the Leinster final, and failed their opening All-Ireland series assignment, managed to be one of the last four standing in the 2026 summer football race.
That’s a stirring turnaround in fortunes.
And yet that type of talk can only go so far as a source of comfort. This defeat will sting the Dublin camp, just as much as their last semi-final defeat in 2022 did when Sean O’Shea boomed over the winner a mile out from goal. When your team is packed with players who were the chief architects of so many glittering days, the pain from a loss doesn’t easily subside.
This one will stick in the craw a bit more, the regrets and grievances stacking up.
Can you condense a game to four passages of play – the two goals registered by one team and the two chances missed by their opponents? It is appropriate in this instance, boiling the contest down to the green flags raised by David Clifford and Seán O’Brien, and the moments where Con O’Callaghan and Ross McGarry were denied in their efforts to find the net.
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Sean O'Brien celebrates scoring his side's second goal. Laszlo Geczo
Laszlo Geczo
Video Assistance
The headlines were naturally commanded afterwards by Ger Brennan’s call for video assistance for match officials. Brennan highlighted three moments of injustice in his view – the decision to penalise Peadar Ó Cofaigh-Byrne to award a penalty, O’Brien’s goal standing despite the fact he was in the square, and the failure to give Dublin a goal as Mike Breen scrambled to clear.
Brennan rightly conceded the penalty decision is debatable and correctly identified the O’Brien goal as the major error. Determining whether McGarry had netted was impossible to call in real time.
In laying out his views, Brennan was composed and articulate. This was no case of a beaten manager walking into the Hogan Stand auditorium and lashing out. Not everyone will agree with his post-match summation, but he spoke with clarity and dignity.
And crucially he acknowledged the other key trend of the game that carries significant weight in determining the outcome. When presented with chances in front of goal, Kerry were more efficient. That’s usually adequate to propel a team over the line.
The Hill was a splash of blue in the sunshine baying for the goal that would see them erupt in celebration. It almost arrived early in the second half, Davy Byrne defying David Clifford with a block at one end, Dublin countering rapidly and the ball falling to the right man as Con O’Callaghan coolly lined up his shot. A goal then would have sent Dublin six clear and spiked the atmosphere, but Shane Murphy was alert to get his body to the shot, the ball pin balled against the woodwork and around the Kerry goalmouth before being cleared.
Con O'Callaghan has his shot saved by Shane Murphy. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Reaction
The miss was compounded by Kerry benefitting from the break that saw O’Brien find the net two minutes later, but it was the winners’ reaction thereafter that crystallised the difference that separated the sides. Paudie Clifford worked the space to float over a shot in the 46th minute. His brother got in on the act five minutes later, capitalising on a rare chance to escape from the clutches of Byrne and the covering Brian Howard, and knocking over a shot from the Hogan Stand side. The sequence was rounded off by Seán O’Shea ghosting into space in the left corner by the Cusack Stand in the 53rd minute, stepping back outside and curling over the ball.
Three strikes, three two-pointers, three moments of magic to prompt the billboards around the stadium to illuminate in orange.
For the first time this season, Kerry’s marquee attacking trio all got on the scoresheet. Injury has hampered Paudie Clifford’s campaign to an extent, and has largely written off Seán O’Shea’s involvement. The Kenmare man started here after being restricted to substitute showings against Armagh and Tyrone. He finished with 0-4 from play – that two-pointer, an important kick to tie the teams as the hooter blared for half-time, and a first-half mark converted under immense pressure near Hill 16.
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By his own impossibly high standards, it felt David Clifford was having a quieter game – a testament to Byrne’s defensive work – and yet he still picked off 1-5. If the goal was fortunate had an element for fortune, as the ball flew up into his arms after a weakly-hit penalty was stopped, he still split the posts with four of his six shots from open play. Paudie was bestowed with the man-of-the-match award afterwards, reflecting his creative pulling of the strings in setting the tempo of Kerry attacks, while also contributing 0-5.
Paudie Clifford celebrates for Kerry. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
Value
Supplying 1-14 out of the team’s overall 2-18 tally demonstrated the value to Kerry in having their blue-chip forwards all available and firing at the same time. It can be obvious to talk about the brilliance of the Clifford brothers and O’Shea, and also worth getting reminders when it comes to settling a contest like this.
Kerry didn’t register a wide until the 31st minute through David, their only such blemish in that period, while Paudie and O’Shea both dropped shots short. The wide tally at the close stood 13-5 in Dublin’s favour and in a game of desperately fine margins, that stood out.
Cormac Costello top-scored with 0-7 for Dublin, Colm Basquel and Paddy Small had sparkling moments, while the brilliant Charlie McMorrow and Brian Howard pushed their side on from deep.
And yet Dublin still left scores out there, shooting rashly and wildly in a few instances late on. They impressed up front, but Kerry notably just did it that bit better.
When the need was greatest, the attacking class of Kerry’s gilded trio shone through.
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Dublin will have regrets and grievances, but Kerry's attacking class was the decisive factor
DEFEATS CAN COME in all shapes and sizes.
For so long Dublin were unaccustomed to reversals, embarking on a relentless winning run as they monopolised the Leinster championship and generally extended that dominance to the All-Ireland scene.
The mood has shifted. Sunday brought their seventh championship defeat in the space of 24 months – Kerry joining Galway, Meath, Armagh, Tyrone, Westmeath and Louth on the list of conquerors, with six of those occurring in Croke Park.
Sustaining a loss is not a new experience then and yet given their early season struggles, for Dublin to have rebounded as far as the semi-final stage, bowing out against the reigning champions can be interpreted as a sign of progress. A county that lost their manager to a 12-week suspension, slipped down through the Division 1 league trapdoor, were bettered in the Leinster final, and failed their opening All-Ireland series assignment, managed to be one of the last four standing in the 2026 summer football race.
That’s a stirring turnaround in fortunes.
And yet that type of talk can only go so far as a source of comfort. This defeat will sting the Dublin camp, just as much as their last semi-final defeat in 2022 did when Sean O’Shea boomed over the winner a mile out from goal. When your team is packed with players who were the chief architects of so many glittering days, the pain from a loss doesn’t easily subside.
This one will stick in the craw a bit more, the regrets and grievances stacking up.
Can you condense a game to four passages of play – the two goals registered by one team and the two chances missed by their opponents? It is appropriate in this instance, boiling the contest down to the green flags raised by David Clifford and Seán O’Brien, and the moments where Con O’Callaghan and Ross McGarry were denied in their efforts to find the net.
Video Assistance
The headlines were naturally commanded afterwards by Ger Brennan’s call for video assistance for match officials. Brennan highlighted three moments of injustice in his view – the decision to penalise Peadar Ó Cofaigh-Byrne to award a penalty, O’Brien’s goal standing despite the fact he was in the square, and the failure to give Dublin a goal as Mike Breen scrambled to clear.
Brennan rightly conceded the penalty decision is debatable and correctly identified the O’Brien goal as the major error. Determining whether McGarry had netted was impossible to call in real time.
In laying out his views, Brennan was composed and articulate. This was no case of a beaten manager walking into the Hogan Stand auditorium and lashing out. Not everyone will agree with his post-match summation, but he spoke with clarity and dignity.
And crucially he acknowledged the other key trend of the game that carries significant weight in determining the outcome. When presented with chances in front of goal, Kerry were more efficient. That’s usually adequate to propel a team over the line.
The Hill was a splash of blue in the sunshine baying for the goal that would see them erupt in celebration. It almost arrived early in the second half, Davy Byrne defying David Clifford with a block at one end, Dublin countering rapidly and the ball falling to the right man as Con O’Callaghan coolly lined up his shot. A goal then would have sent Dublin six clear and spiked the atmosphere, but Shane Murphy was alert to get his body to the shot, the ball pin balled against the woodwork and around the Kerry goalmouth before being cleared.
Reaction
The miss was compounded by Kerry benefitting from the break that saw O’Brien find the net two minutes later, but it was the winners’ reaction thereafter that crystallised the difference that separated the sides. Paudie Clifford worked the space to float over a shot in the 46th minute. His brother got in on the act five minutes later, capitalising on a rare chance to escape from the clutches of Byrne and the covering Brian Howard, and knocking over a shot from the Hogan Stand side. The sequence was rounded off by Seán O’Shea ghosting into space in the left corner by the Cusack Stand in the 53rd minute, stepping back outside and curling over the ball.
Three strikes, three two-pointers, three moments of magic to prompt the billboards around the stadium to illuminate in orange.
For the first time this season, Kerry’s marquee attacking trio all got on the scoresheet. Injury has hampered Paudie Clifford’s campaign to an extent, and has largely written off Seán O’Shea’s involvement. The Kenmare man started here after being restricted to substitute showings against Armagh and Tyrone. He finished with 0-4 from play – that two-pointer, an important kick to tie the teams as the hooter blared for half-time, and a first-half mark converted under immense pressure near Hill 16.
By his own impossibly high standards, it felt David Clifford was having a quieter game – a testament to Byrne’s defensive work – and yet he still picked off 1-5. If the goal was fortunate had an element for fortune, as the ball flew up into his arms after a weakly-hit penalty was stopped, he still split the posts with four of his six shots from open play. Paudie was bestowed with the man-of-the-match award afterwards, reflecting his creative pulling of the strings in setting the tempo of Kerry attacks, while also contributing 0-5.
Value
Supplying 1-14 out of the team’s overall 2-18 tally demonstrated the value to Kerry in having their blue-chip forwards all available and firing at the same time. It can be obvious to talk about the brilliance of the Clifford brothers and O’Shea, and also worth getting reminders when it comes to settling a contest like this.
Kerry didn’t register a wide until the 31st minute through David, their only such blemish in that period, while Paudie and O’Shea both dropped shots short. The wide tally at the close stood 13-5 in Dublin’s favour and in a game of desperately fine margins, that stood out.
Cormac Costello top-scored with 0-7 for Dublin, Colm Basquel and Paddy Small had sparkling moments, while the brilliant Charlie McMorrow and Brian Howard pushed their side on from deep.
And yet Dublin still left scores out there, shooting rashly and wildly in a few instances late on. They impressed up front, but Kerry notably just did it that bit better.
When the need was greatest, the attacking class of Kerry’s gilded trio shone through.
*****
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