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ON Sunday Kerry will face Kildare for the seventh time in the championship and the first since 2002.
The record stands at three wins a piece, four of the games were played in All-Ireland Finals with the sides taking a share of the spoils there also.
The glory years of Kildare football came between 1919 and 1935, Kildare competed in seven All-Ireland finals winning three of them, beating Kerry in one and losing in two.
The first match between the two in 1905 is was the first time a telephone was used to relay news of victory back to the winning county.
1905 – Kildare v Kerry 1-7 – 0-5
1926 – Kerry v Kildare 1-4 – 0-4
1927 – Kildare v Kerry 0-5 – 0-3
1931 – Kerry v Kildare 1-11 – 0-8
Here’s Pathe footage of the 1926 All-Ireland final, where the great Strand Road man, Dan O’Keeffe, who won seven All-Irelands with Kerry can be spotted playing in goal.
1998 – Kildare v Kerry 0-13 – 1-9
This was the first meeting between the sides in 67 years and with two Kerry legends sitting the managerial hot-seats for both counties, it was deemed the Micko v Páidí clash.
The master had the better of the apprentice, who in the second half built up a six point lead, that Kerry almost pegged back with the help of a poacher’s goal, from Johnny Crowley. Kildare would go on to contest their first All-Ireland final in 63 years, but fell short to a gifted young Galway team.
2002 – Kerry v Kildare 2-10 – 1-5
We didn’t have to wait as long for the next meeting between the sides, when the sides met in last round of the qualifiers of that year in Thurles.
Kerry were able to emphatically reverse the previous result between the pair thanks to a goals from Colm Cooper and Eoin Brosnan, who’s goal in particular stood out.
Kerry would go on to beat, Galway and Cork to reach the final, but fell short in the final to Armagh, who won their first ever All-Ireland.
Check out that goal by Eoin Brosnan, followed by a Gooch special and his post match interview from a 19 year old Cooper.
