1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final

1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final
Event1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Offaly Kerry
1–15
(18)		 0–17
(17)
Date19 September 1982
VenueCroke Park, Dublin
RefereeP. J. McGrath (Mayo; Kilmaine)[1]
Attendance62,309
WeatherRain
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The 1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 95th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The game, played at Croke Park in Dublin, culminated in one of the most famous goals of all time.[2]

Kerry entered the match heavy favourites to complete an unprecedented five consecutive All-Ireland Senior Football Championship titles, having won for the previous four years in a run stretching back to 1978. Their opponents Offaly had not won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title since 1972.

Kerry and Offaly had met in the 1980 semi-final and the 1981 final, Kerry emerging as victors on both occasions.[2] Indeed, Kerry had not lost a championship game since the 1977 semi-final.[2] However, this time, a last-minute Séamus Darby goal — struck past the hapless Charlie Nelligan — deprived Kerry of their five-in-a-row dream.[3] They had to put away their "Five in a Row" song, which had been prepared especially for the occasion.[4]

  1. ^ "Death of 1982 All-Ireland football final referee". Hogan Stand. 22 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference darby_derails was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ High Ball magazine, issue #6, 1998.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference finally_played was invoked but never defined (see the help page).