In 2018, Martin Breheny listed this as the eighth greatest All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.

Dublin played the opening half towards the Railway End of Croke Park, that part of the stadium featuring Hill 16.

Their goalkeeper Paddy Cullen, according to Con Houlihan, caught "a few swirling lofted balls, dropping almost onto his crossbar... as composed and technically correct as if being done to illustrate a text book".

[2] Dublin's "swift triangular" play led Kerry to foul their opponents and Jimmy Keaveney duly converted the frees.

[2] Jack O'Shea caught the football and drove it on a long central trajectory to the 21-yard line.

While Aldridge had awarded a free to Kerry, there are those who maintain that Ger Power had fouled Cullen shortly before.

[1] RTÉ chose it as one of the Top 20 GAA Moments in 2005 and it features prominently in the 1978 episode of Reeling in the Years.

Kerry = Dublin = In the Evening Press the following day, Con Houlihan memorably described Cullen's misfortune: "Paddy dashed back towards his goal like a woman who smells a cake burning.

The ball won the race and it curled inside the near post as Paddy crashed into the outside of the net and lay against it like a fireman who had returned to find his station ablaze".