17:26: That's all for this afternoon folks. Today's game may have been a little disappointing, but hopefully we'll have a magnificent final to make up for it. We'll be back for next weekend's All-Ireland SHC final between Kilkenny and Tipperary. Until then, slán.
17:22: Kerry captain Darran O'Sullivan has ice on his right foot, but he says he will be fit fot the final. He says the conditions were difficult, and that added to the physicality. The goalscorer says they are delighted to be afforded another crack at their neighbours in the final.
17:20: Meath manager Eamonn O'Brien says he felt at half-time that his side could bring the game down to the wire. He says they may have to look at their style of play, as he felt it was a little predictable.
17:17: Kerry manager Jack O'Connor says he is not worried about the performance and he is just pleased to be in the final. He says they were never going to reproduce their performance against Dublin and accepts they will need a vastly-improved performance against Cork.
FULL TIME: Kerry 2-08 Meath 1-07 - Kerry are through to yet another All-Ireland SFC final, but only after a lacklustre semi-final win over Meath. There were 32 wides in all. The Royals held their own in the opening period, but a goal from Tommy Walsh in the early stages of the second half put Jack O'Connor's men in the driving seat. Cian Ward scored a last-gasp goal for Meath, but it did little more than put a better look on the final scoreline.
70 mins + 2: GOAL FOR MEATH - Sheridan gathers a high ball and a lovely pass inside finds Cian Ward who beats Murphy despite the Kerry stopper getting a hand to the shot. Kerry 2-08 Meath 1-07
70 mins + 1: Farrell pops over a free to register Meath's first point since the 48th minute. Kerry 2-08 Meath 0-07
68 mins: Kerry goalkeeper Diarmuid Murphy has had little to do today, but he pulls off a tremendous double-save. The first shot from Queeney was pushed out and the rebound from Joe Sheridan received similar treatment.
66 mins: A high ball in from Galvin is punched towards goal by Tommy Walsh but O'Rourke gets down well to save. Down at the other end Sheridan's attempt for a point slaps off the upright and wide.
64 mins: Kennelly has more than justified his selection and he caps his display with a second point from play. Kerry 2-08 Meath 0-06
62 mins: Paddy O'Rourke's dreadful handpass goes straight to Paul Galvin, but the Kerry forward is equally inaccurate with his pass inside to O'Connor.
60 mins: Micheál Quirke and Paul O'Connor replace Darragh Ó Sé and Colm Cooper for Kerry.
58 mins: Another wasteful long ball from Cian Ward misses its target to register Meath's 15th wide.
57 mins: The official attendance is given as 50,770. It's hard to believe from the pictures that there are that many spectators in the stands.
56 mins: Substitute Mark Ward spurns his first opportunity by sending his long-distance effort wide.
54 mins: Nigel Crawford is replaced in the Meath engine room by Mark Ward. Another sub Niall McKeigue gets a yellow card for off-the-ball matters.
51 mins: A poor kick-out by O'Rourke goes straight out of play. The resulting sideline catches Cormac McGuinness out but O'Rourke reacts brilliantly to prevent the ball crossing the line.
50 mins: Darragh Ó Sé, playing in his 80th Championship game for Kerry, shoots wide. Aidan O'Mahony replaces Killian Young in the half-back line.
48 mins: Ward swings over his second sideline of the game. A wonderful kick, but his side need a lot more of that if they are to get back into this game. Kerry 2-07 Meath 0-06
46 mins: Tommy Walsh gets away from Anthony Moyles and finds the space to bring his tally to 1-02. Kerry 2-07 Meath 0-05
45 mins: Jamie Queeney replaces Seamus Kenny for Meath.
44 mins: Cooper pops over a simple from 13 metres. Kerry 2-06 Meath 0-05
42 mins: Joe Sheridan shows a bit of leadership by running directly at the Kerry defence and spiltting the posts. Kerry 2-05 Meath 0-05
41 mins: A loose free from Meath is collected by Kennelly and the Listowel man makes no mistake to extend the Kingdom's lead to seven points. Kerry 2-05 Meath 0-04
39 mins: Walsh follows up with a lovely left-footed point after Cooper picked out his run. Kerry 2-04 Meath 0-04
36 mins: GOAL FOR KERRY - A high ball into the Meath area is won by Tommy Walsh and the Young Footballer of the Year lashes the ball past O'Rourke and into the net. A perfect start for the Kingdom. Kerry 2-03 Meath 0-04
16:27: The second half begins.
16:26: Both sides are back out on the pitch.
HALF-TIME: Kerry 1-03 Meath 0-04 - They may have endured a shaky start and lost star forward Stephen Bray to injury but Meath have recovered well and trail Kerry by just two points at the break. There is huge room for improvement on Kerry's side, but can the Munster men turn on the style in the second half?
35 mins + 2: There is an off-the-ball incident which results in Meath's Farrell hitting the deck. The referee consults with his umpires but decides to take no action.
35 mins +1: Ward has most definitely found his range as he angles over a sideline from the Hogan Stand side. Kerry 1-03 Meath 0-04
34 mins: Ward's free needs the assistance of the post to go over, but it does and the gap is down to three points. Kerry 1-03 Meath 0-03
32 mins: Darran O'Sullivan's shot from distance drifts wide. The Kingdom are winning all the breaks around midfield and that's the area Meath will need to improve upon.
31 mins: Cooper curls over his second point - this time from a free - after Declan O'Sullivan was dragged back by Burke. Kerry 1-03 Meath 0-02
28 mins: Kerry make a change, with Tommy Walsh replacing his namesake Donnacha in the forward line.
27 mins: Another ball into the Meath full-forward line runs over the endline, bringing their wides tally to nine. But Meath are more than holding their own.
25 mins: Poor control from Sheridan sees a great opportunity pass for Meath. However, Scanlon fouls the ball offering Ward a simple chance to get his name on the scoresheet. Kerry 1-02 Meath 0-02
23 mins: Kerry midfielder Séamus Scanlon hits his side's fifth wide.
21 mins: The umpire down at the Hill 16 End brings the referee's attention to an incident. Kerry corner-back Marc Ó Sé and Meath's Brian Farrell are both shown a yellow card. The is also reports that the managers have exchanged words down on the sideline.
19 mins: Darren O'Sullivan follows up to point after his namesake Declan had a shot saved by O'Rourke. It looked like the Kerry number 14 may have been fouling Moyles. Kerry 1-02 Meath 0-01
18 mins: Meath's Farrell is having particular problems keeping his feet. He misses a good chance to narrow the gap.
15 mins: Farrell opens Meath's account following good work by Joe Sheridan. Kerry 1-01 Meath 0-01
13 mins: Meath centre-back Cormac McGuinness slips on the edge of his own square but holds onto possession and wins himself a free. The surface is treacherous.
12 mins: Kerry full-forward Declan O'Sullivan has a shot for goal deflected wide off the foot of Cooper. Kerry are awarded a '45, much to the chagrin of the Meath backs. The kick comes to nothing.
11 mins: The 'Gooch' gets involved with Burke and Moyles. It is a minor incident. Cooper shows his better side when he takes a pass from Galvin and splits the posts from close range with his left foot. Kerry 1-01 Meath 0-00
7 mins: Cian Ward hits a free off the upright for Meath and Brian Farrell is off target in the follow up. Losing their talisman has made it all the more difficult for the Royals.
6 mins: The rain has made the surface very greasy. It definitely affected Moyles as he attacked the ball. Meath captain Stephen Bray has hurt his shoulder and the attacker will come off. He is replaced by Mickey Burke.
4 mins: GOAL FOR KERRY - Captain Darran O'Sullivan slips as he kicks it but his shot still hits the back of the net. Meath goalkeeper Paddy O'Rourke will be disappointed not to have stopped it. Kerry 1-00 Meath 0-00
3 mins: PENALTY for Kerry - Meath full-back Anthony Moyles slips and takes down Colm Cooper and there is no doubt it is a penalty.
2 mins: Kerry wing-forward Paul Galvin has the first opportunity of the day but he skews his left-footed shot wide after being setup by Tadhg Kennelly.
15:32: Referee Gearóid Ó Conamha throws the ball in and we're under way at Croker.
15:31: With the formailties over, we're just about ready to begin.
15:29: The rain has started to fall at Headquarters as the teams line up for Amhrán na Bhfiann.
15:28: Cork manager Conor Counihan is in the crowd. The Rebels, of course, have already booked their place in the 20 September decider.
15:27: I said earlier that Kerry were wearing blue jerseys. It appears that the Munster men's tops are closer to navy. Meath are in golden attire.
15:26: The two sides embark on the pre-match parade.
15:23: The Sunday Game panellists believe dropping Tommy Walsh for Tadhg Kennelly and redeploying Declan O'Sullivan will boost Kerry's chances of reaching a sixth All-Ireland final in a row.
15:16: Meath supremo Eamonn O'Brien says he hopes his charges are ready for the challenge.
15:15: Kerry manager Jack O'Connor tells RTÉ's Joanne Cantwell says that they are expecting a 'fierce' encounter.
15:13: Kerry, in their blue jerseys, have come out on the hallowed turf.
15:10: There was a suggestion that a hip problem would keep Colm 'Gooch' Cooper off Kerry's starting XV. However, the word from the Kingdom camp is that the Dr Crokes clubman will be okay to take his place.
15:08: Good afternoon to all. Meath have just entered the field of play and have begun their warm-up.
Kerry: D Murphy; M Ó Sé, T Griffin, T O'Sullivan; T Ó Sé, M McCarthy, K Young; D Ó Sé, S Scanlon; P Galvin, T Kennelly, D Walsh; C Cooper, Declan O'Sullivan, Darran O'Sullivan.
Meath: P O'Rourke; C O'Connor, A Moyles, E Harrington; S Kenny, C McGuinness, C King; N Crawford, B Meade; P Byrne, J Sheridan, S Bray; D Bray, B Farrell, C Ward.
Referee: Gearóid Ó Conamha.
