Mikey Sheehy chip 1978

WITH 13 minutes gone, Dublin were 0-7 to 1-3 ahead when Jack O’Shea rode a shoulder charge and hammered the ball towards Sheehy’s top of the right spot. Dublin ‘keeper Paddy Cullen came off his line, but referee Seamus Aldridge awarded a free in. With Cullen protesting, out of his goal, the Kerry wizard placed the ball and chipped over the backpedalling ‘keeper and into the net in what commentator Michael O’Hehir described as the “greatest freak of all time” and Kerry sailed on to victory.

Seamus Darby winner 1982

KERRY’s all-conquering “Golden Years” crop had wiped all in front of them for four seasons. And with the 1982 final ticking towards a conclusion, it was looking like an historic five-in-a-row. But Offaly had other ideas. Martin Furlong’s penalty save kept them afloat and when full-back Liam Connor lofted the ball to the Kerry square, super sub Seamus Darby won the ball ahead of Tommy Doyle before unleashing an unstoppable shot to the net.

The Twelve Apostles of 1983

THIS final was better known for more than Dublin ending their six-year wait for taking Sam to the banks of the Liffey. It wasn’t remembered for Barney Rock’s lobbed goal in a whopping 1-6 tally.

It was the final where Dublin’s 12 players beat 14-man Galway after Antrim referee John Gough sent off four players. First it was Brian Mullins who walked, with Galway’s Tomás Tiernan and Ray Hazley were given their marching orders at the same time, with Kieran Duff also dismissed in the second half.

Pat Spillane fisted goal 1986

THE 1986 final was the one that got away on Tyrone. The Ulster champions had Kerry well and truly on the rack, leading by seven points at one time.

A Paudge Quinn goal had them 1-8 to 0-5 ahead before the Kingdom began to flex their second half muscle.

It took a moment of magic from Pat Spillane to acrobatically fist a Ger Power cross to the net, in a 1-4 haul, to turn the game with Mikey Sheedy, also scoring 1-4, adding a second goal to finish the job.

Neil Collins save 1991

DOWN had the Meath team, who needed four games to sink the Dubs, in all sorts of trouble. A Barry Breen goal and a man of the match performance from James McCartan had Pete McGrath’s side in total command.

Meath sprung the sick Colm O’Rourke from the bench and he worked his magic to pull them back into contention. His pass put Bernard Flynn in on goal, but it was Collins who made the vital save to help win the game, backing it up with a penalty save from Charlie Redmond in the 1994 decider.

Oisin McConville goal 2002

AFTER missing a first-half penalty, the All-Ireland final looked like passing Oisin McConville by.

That was until the redemption moment in the second-half. Benny Tierney’s kick-out found the run of Diarmuid Marsden.

When the move developed up the Hogan Stand side, then McConville played a pass to Paul McGrane who fisted it back into his path and the Crossmaglen man beat Declan O’Keefe at his near post on the way to All-Ireland glory.

Conor Gormley block 2003

NOT all assassins are in attack. In this all-Ulster All-Ireland final, the destination of Sam went right down to the last minute with Armagh coming inches away from back to back titles.

With Tyrone three points clear and time ticking towards the final whistle, Barry O’Hagan drilled a diagonal ball into the danger
zone where Tony McEntee put
Stevie McDonnell in on goalkeeper John Devine but with a goal there
for the taking, Conor Gormley
came from nowhere to make the match winning block.

Peter Canavan goal 2005

IT was precision of a different kind for our next memory, a moment of pupil and master.

Kerry and Tyrone were at loggerheads once again and it took some magic for the Red Hands to see off an excellent side.

Philip Jordan’s ball was won in the square by Owen Mulligan, but it was Canavan that dictated the rest. He timed this run to perfection, before taking the ball and placing it into the bottom corner of the net. It was eye of the needle stuff from the Tyrone ace.

Stephen Cluxton winner 2011

IT was a long time since 1995 as Dublin went toe to toe with Kerry on an afternoon that would change the direction of Gaelic Games.

The sides were locked at 1-11 each as Kevin McMenamin surged into the attack where he was fouled under the noses of the Dublin fans on Hill 16.

It called for calm and Bernard Brogan called up Stephen Cluxton to take the late kick that he popped delightfully between the posts. It was nerves of steel from the skipper.

Michael Murphy rasping goal 2012

DONEGAL had waited 20 years to get their hands on the biggest prize and it was an electric moment in the opening minutes that had Mayo chasing in a run they were never going to win.

Murphy, often playing all over the pitch, was stationed at full forward and when Karl Lacey’s diagonal ball came in, he powered away from Kevin Keane before blasting to the back of the net for the match winning goal.

Own goals 2016

MAYO have been the eternal hard luck story of All-Ireland Sunday. So often they promised, but were never able to shake the monkey off their back.

The Westerners started brightly but when a Bernard Brogan shot was turned in off the boot of Kevin McLoughlin, the game began to change. Worse followed when a Dean Rock free dropped shot only to hit the net via Colm Boyle in a game Mayo lost 2-9 to 0-15.

Dean Rock winner 2017

FOR all their trips to Dublin, I felt this was Mayo’s best chance to end their hoodoo. It was an epic game that twisted and turned. From my perch high in the Hogan Stand, I pinched myself thinking I’d be in Croker the day they eventually took home the bacon.

But finals are all about heroes. Six minutes into injury time, with teams level at 1-16 each, Dean Rock nailed a monster free from right out on the sideline.