EXCEPT for the very odd occurrence, Kerry have had it mostly all their own way against Mayo in championship football.

If the green and gold ever had a side we had the Indian sign over, it would be these men from the west.

In the past Kerry v Mayo has had the ability to produce a leisurely afternoon in Croke Park for us and years of nightmares for them.

With their semi-final clash looming, here is our top five Kerry v Mayo championship moments.

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1. 1997 All-Ireland Final, Fitzy’s Point From The Sideline

This was the game that ended the 11 year long famine and ushered in ‘The Golden Years’ Mark 2.0. It was also the day when Maurice Fitzgerald finally got to show off his skills on the biggest stage of all.

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2. 2004 All-Ireland Final, Gooch Glides Past Green and Red

This final win soothed any growing insecurities about our abilities after losing badly to Tyrone in ’03, Armagh in ’02 and that semi-final against Meath in ’01. It was also the game where Gooch announced himself as the real deal.

3. 2006 All-Ireland Final, Donaghy Smashes Mayo Dreams

Mayo took a 12 point shellacking in what was one of the biggest defeats ever in an All-Ireland Final. The Donaghy/Cooper partnership was at its devastating best and Kerry hit the net four times. Donaghy’s was the pick of the bunch.

4. 2011 All-Ireland Semi-Final, Cooper’s Pick Up

There was renewed confidence for Mayo after they dumped out reigning All-Ireland Champions Cork on the way to this game, but once again we mercilessly crushed their hopes and dreams. The Gooch was in imperious form, supplying us with this piece of skill to savour.

5. 1981 All-Ireland Semi-Final, Eugene McHale’s Celebration

With Kerry on the way to four-in-a-row, they were hit a blow early on in this match when Mayo’s Eugene McHale struck for a goal. Though it was a fine strike, the stand out feature of the goal was McHale’s leaping celebration. If ever you could put a face on joy…

Kerry won by 17 points.