Dublin take on Kerry this weekend in the Allianz League - with the ‘home’ game for Dublin taking place in Thurles as punishment for some of their panel breaking Covid training rules.
In the latest instalment of OTBAM’s Classic Games Club, Ger Gilroy, Eoin Sheehan, and Tommy Rooney look back at the famous All-Ireland quarter-final tie between the two counties on the same pitch 20 years ago.
Kerry came into the game as Munster and All-Ireland champions, with Dublin enjoying the newly introduced ‘back-door' route into the Championship.
The context and setting of the game played a vital role in the allure of the tie. Ireland was in the midst of the roaring Celtic Tiger, with cars abandoned throughout Thurles as Kerry and Dublin met for the first time in 16 years.
Eoin Sheehan, who attended the game, recalled, “There was this strange sort of jovial coming together of Kerry and Dublin fans.”
The game is remembered for what Sheehan characterised as "an exhibition of terrible, terrible football".
This was typified by Sheehan adding, “There were two of the worst misses in front of goal I have ever seen.”
“I think there is a breakdown in everyone’s motor skills because everyone is so angry...People have just broken down; their skills have deserted them in this cauldron of emotion that is Semple Stadium”, Sheehan said.
Collie Moran’s failure to convert what would have been "one of the best scores in history", was coupled by currently-banned Dublin manager Dessie Farrell missing an inexplicably open goal from two yards out.
“To make matters worse, the camera pans to the stands. And we’ve got our great leader, Bertie Aherne, with his head in his hands and is like ‘Oh no, Collie Moran’”, Sheehan added.
Despite the lack of quality, Ger Gilroy saw the perverse beauty of it all, saying, “I don’t see this as bad; I see this as highly enjoyable. Like a street brawl that you have stumbled upon in a Youtube wormhole.”
“It’s like football you’d see on the dark web”, according to Sheehan.
Tommy Rooney, who is one-third of OTB’s newest podcast, The Football Pod alongside Paddy Andrews and Andy Moran, noted the stark contrast between 2001 Dublin and 2021 Dublin.
“The teams are human; that’s the big thing about this. Twenty years on, these teams have hit a different level, a supernova level of decision making.”
In Dublin’s 2021 Allianz League opener against Roscommon, the six-in-a-row All-Ireland champions shot at 85% accuracy.
Twenty years prior, “18 shots, three scored. 16% shooting accuracy” in the first half, according to Rooney.
The undoubted most iconic moment from the game was current-Kerry selector Maurice Fitzgerald's equalising from sideline ball to force the replay.
“There was a master craftsman at work, there was a load of people around him, and he was completely immune to it. Nothing you say or do is going to be able to upset him. He’s kicking this ball that he’s kicked a million times.”, Gilroy recalled.
That equaliser sent the game to a replay, with Kerry ultimately coming out on top.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
