The replay was also an exciting affair with Kerins O'Rahilly's heading for victory with the game entering the dying minutes.
Mid Kerry launched one final attack that finished with Ian Twiss being upended in the O'Rahilly's square.
The referee showed no hesitation pointing to the spot and up stepped Aidan O'Shea to guarantee himself hero status in Mid Kerry.
The 2004 final was notable as O'Sullivan was deliberately targeted by a Tyrone defence that had singled him out as Kerry's main threat.
O'Sullivan was a member of the Kerry squad for the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship in 2005, starting in the forward line.
O'Sullivan's side could only manage three points in the opening half, however, the introduction of Eoin Brosnan transformed the team.
At the end of the seventy minutes a 2–12 to 0–10 score line gave Kerry their 18th National League title and a first for O'Sullivan.
At half-time it looked as though the Ulser hoodoo would strike again but Kerry blitzed the men from the orchard county in the second half with Darragh Ó Sé dominating midfield while Kieran Donaghy shone at full-forward.
An unbelievable opening first-half saw Kerry go 2–4 to no score ahead after just ten minutes, courtesy of goals by Declan O'Sullivan and Kieran Donaghy.
The subsequent All-Ireland final was an historic occasion as Kerry faced Cork in the very first all-Munster championship decider.
[13] Once again O'Sullivan didn't start the game but came on in the second half to collect his second consecutive All-Ireland winners' medal.
All did not go to plan as O'Sullivan's side lost team captain Paul Galvin to suspension after an incident with referee Paddy Russell in the Munster semi-final against Clare.
'The Rebels' fought back and, in a massive downpour, Kerry could only muster three points in the second period of play as Cork secured a remarkable 1–16 to 1–11 victory.
An exciting game developed, one that was more competitive than the routs that had taken place at the same stage of the championship over the previous two years.
The year began well with his side's National League victory over Derry to capture his third winners' medal in that competition.
The Kerry team stuck to their game plan, helped in no small part by a Cork side that recorded fourteen wide's.