DUBLIN
Stephen Cluxton: He sent five kick-outs astray but Kerry were unable to punish him decisively for any of them. Converted a free to register his first score in the Championship this year. 6.5
Jonny Cooper: Would have been in on goal in the first half but fumbled at the crucial moment. Cooper was injured making a second half interception. 7
Rory O’Carroll: Picked up Paul Geaney in the first half. The Dingle man scored two points and turned him but O’Carroll was quick enough to recover. The real entertainment came in the second half when he locked horns with Kieran Donaghy. 6.5
Philly McMahon: See Star Man
James McCarthy: Had spells on Cooper, Stephen O’Brien, Darran O’Sullivan and Donnchadh Walsh. Always seems to have time on the ball and was there to clear off his line late on. 8
Cian O’Sullivan: Johnny Buckley had very little joy up against him and neither did his replacement Bryan Sheehan. Replaced after a solid hour. 7
Jack McCaffrey: The Clontarf speedster found Donnchadh Walsh hard to mark at times, but he’s a handful himself. Bombed forward for a point. 7
Brian Fenton: Up against Anthony Maher, he scored the first point of the game after 19 seconds. Always competitive in aerial duels. 8
Denis Bastick: Got the better of his first half battle with David Moran. Made timely interceptions but his passing was a mixed bag. Replaced five minutes into the second period. 7
Paul Flynn: Grew into the game and was Dublin’s best forward for spells in the second half and scored two points from play yesterday. 7
Diarmuid Connolly: Showed some sublime touches and was always a threat although he didn’t score. Fielding ability won frees in the second half. Was moved in to full-forward. 7
Ciarán Kilkenny: Didn’t make the impact he managed in the two Mayo clashes. Kicked a wide and dropped another shot short and lost Jonathan Lyne in the second half for a score. 6
Paddy Andrews: Had a goal chance in the second half but fired wide when he had better options left and right. Did manage a point and worked hard but struggled to get rid of marker Fionn Fitzgerald. 6.5
Dean Rock: Scored two first half frees but hit a wide from play and missed the goal chance that came his way in the first half. Swapped for Kevin McManamon at the interval. 6
Bernard Brogan: He fumbled the ball four times under pressure from Shane Enright before he finally smashed one over the bar. Also managed a free but kicked two wides in the second half. 6.5
Substitutes
Kevin McManamon: On for Rock at the break. Was a dragged down by O’Mahony who was black-carded. 6
Michael Darragh Macauley: Came in for Bastick five minutes into the second half and put himself about with trademark industry. 6
Michael Fitzsimons: Replaced the injured Jonny Cooper and played his part n the shut-out. 6
John Small: Helped shore up the defence. Blotted out Barry John Keane. 6
Darren Daly: An eye-catching cameo after replacing Cian O’Sullivan after an hour. Didn’t allow Paul Galvin to make an impact. 6.5
Alan Brogan: Just on when he raced upfield to take a pass off his brother and smashed the ball over the bar for a now obligatory point. 6
KERRY
Brendan Kealy: Making his 28th Championship appearance, the Kilcummin ‘keeper saved well from Dean Rock in the early stages and was calm in possession, but like Cluxton, he had increasing difficulty finding a Kerry shirt with his kick-outs in the second half. 7
Fionn Fitzgerald: Given the prolific form Paddy Andrews has been in this summer, Fitzgerald did a solid man-marking job, but didn’t offer an attacking threat. 6.5
Aidan O’Mahony: Kept Dean Rock scoreless and was doing well on Dublin super sub Kevin McManamon until the legs gave way in the 58th minute when he was black-carded for pulling down his man. 6.5
Shane Enright: He was touch tight to Bernard Brogan for most of the game and forced a few turnovers out of the Dublin marksman. A good defensive display. 7
Jonathan Lyne: Never allowed Ciarán Kilkenny to get ahead of him at any stage and hit a glorious point from the right side to give Kerry hope at the start of the second half. 7
Peter Crowley: Had a good first half on Diarmuid Connolly, but the Kerry centre-back was badly dispossessed in the 33rd minute which led directly to Paddy Andrews scoring. Poor second half. 6
Killian Young: The experienced wing-back will have nightmares about his fumble in front of Dublin’s goals in the closing stages. Had been doing a good job on Paul Flynn but the Dublin attacker cut loose in the second half, hitting a couple of points. 6
Anthony Maher: One of the few players in green and gold that played somewhere near their potential. He offered some much-needed composure in possession. 7
David Moran: A mixed day for the big midfielder. A bit clumsy with some his passes but won his fair share of breaks in the middle of the field and missed the target with a first half chance. 6.5
Stephen O’Brien: The Kenmare wing-forward was probably breaking even with James McCarthy in the first half but was sacrificed at half-time for Darran O’Sullivan. 6
Johnny Buckley: One of Kerry’s best players this summer but never influenced proceedings at any stage. Didn’t know whether to push up on Cian O’Sullivan and had trouble with Denis Bastick in the first half. 5.5
Donnchadh Walsh: Won a few early breaks off Jack McCaffrey and took responsibility in possession. Fouled a few times in the scoring zone and tracked back well, but a scoreless afternoon. 6
Colm Cooper: The ‘Gooch’ spent more time in his own half tracking Philly McMahon and was completely lost to the game. A forgettable All-Ireland final. 5
Paul Geaney: Although he hit two fine points off Rory O’Carroll in the first half, it was only a matter of time before he was sacrificed for Kieran Donaghy. 6.5
James O’Donoghue: Any day you hit three points from play in an All-Ireland final should be a good day, but a lot of O’Donoghue’s work fell below the standard and was replaced in the 61st minute. 6.5
Substitutes
Darran O’Sullivan: Gave Kerry much needed impetus, hitting two points. Might have added one or two more. 7
Bryan Sheehan: Won a few important breaks but missed a couple of scoreable chances. 6.5
Kieran Donaghy: Caused the Dublin back-line a bit of stress and assisted for a couple good chances for his side. 6.5
Paul Galvin: A loud cheer greeted his introduction but was off the pace. 5
Barry John Keane: Didn’t have a lot of time to impress. 5
STAR MAN
Philly McMahon (Dublin)
HE WAS marking Colm Cooper and out-scored him. McMahon scored one, ‘the Gooch’ scored none.
Rock-solid in defence, he had Cooper chasing him all over Croke Park and the Dr Croke’s star was unable to get into the game.
Though he was booked on Sunday, he kept his discipline and played a massive role in Dublin’s victory.
