The credentials of both sides were perfect: Galway unbeaten since the 1963 All-Ireland SFC final with Dublin, against a Meath team that had put in an incredible second-half performance against Down to win by ten points.

As it bounced across the face of Seán McCormack's goal, Mattie McDonagh came steaming in and planted the ball into the back of the net with relative ease.

A reshuffled Meath team re-opened the second half with promise, but the revival they sought, desperately needing a goal, never looked like coming.

Meath outscored Galway in the second half but it was merely an irrelevant statistic as the Tribesmen had made it "Three In A Row", with a six-point victory.

Team: 1 Johnny Geraghty (GK) 2 Enda Colleran (c) 3 Noel Tierney 4 Bosco McDermott 5 Colie McDonagh 6 Seán Meade  ?'

for Fagan Substitutes not used: 16 Paddy Cromwell 19 John Carolan 20 Paddy Mulvany 22 Vincent Foley 23 L. Kierans 24 Mick Mellett 25 J. Walsh 26 M. Lynch 27 M. O'Brien Harry Beitzel, an Australian credited with pioneering the development of the composite rules sport International rules football, is said to have drawn inspiration from watching the 1966 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final on television, and in 1967 sent an Australian side – "The Galahs" – to play the game against an Irish side.

Beitzel followed this up the next year with The Australian Football World Tour, a six-match series with games played against Irish teams in Ireland, the UK and United States.