After a two-year hiatus, Dublin are All-Ireland champions again, proving their eternal mastery of the end game to see off Kerry and win a 31st title and seventh in nine years.
In a frantic, messy encounter, late points from the influential Paul Mannion and a free from Dean Rock saw Dessie Farrell's side home by two.
While the Dublin attack finally found its groove late in the second half, the victory was built on a superb defensive display, the venerable Mick Fitzsimons taking the plaudits as David Clifford was restricted to two points from play, although much of this was attributable to the Kerry star's uncharacteristically wayward shooting.
Fitzsimons was one of a history-making trio alongside Stephen Cluxton and James McCarthy, each collecting an unprecedented ninth All-Ireland SFC title.
Kerry had led by the minimum at the end of a frantic first half, in which both sets of forward lines fluffed their lines more than had been anticipated.
Paul Geaney's smartly taken goal on the stroke of first half injury-time - the first goal Dublin had conceded in eight games - to give the reigning champions a 1-04 to 0-06 lead.
Kerry briefly stretched their lead out to three points midway through the second half before some careless passing at the back allowed Cormac Costello set up Paddy Small to level the encounter.
The game swung to and fro for the remainder of the encounter, both sides running the bench, Mannion coming to the fore for the Dubs, Paudie Clifford for Kerry.
Kerry levelled the game at 1-13 apiece on the stroke of injury-time but there was a sense that Dublin were playing with more conviction.
The critical score arrived on 72 minutes. Dean Rock's shot was pushed away by the fingertips of Shane Ryan, Colm Basquel picked up the loose ball and spun around a couple of times in a brief tizzy, before feeding the onrushing Mannion who clipped over the lead point.
David Clifford, whose radar - fatefully for Kerry - was askew for most of the afternoon, pushed another equalising attempt from the right hand side wide of the post. Kerry hearts sagged.
Dublin nursed possession for a couple of minutes before working a free at the death, late substitute Dean Rock curling over to essentially seal the win.
McCarthy's speech, in which he was quick to pay tribute to the work of John Costello and his often maligned manager Dessie Farrell, had a fairly valedictory feel.
His tone in his post-match press conference, where he happily supped from a pint of Guinness, suggested that it may indeed be the end for many of the 2010s crop, acknowledging that several "have decisions to make."
In what was perceived as a clash between the decade-long Dublin dynasty and their likeliest successors in Kerry, it was the old regime that held firm to claim a ninth All-Ireland.
Stage fright certainly wasn't going to be an issue at the outset. Kerry were reigning champions, while Dublin boasted a starting line-up with seven players over 30 - and one over 40. With an average age of over 29, they were older than the Kerry team that won Mick O'Dwyer's final All-Ireland in 1986.
The first half was an orgy of turnovers, defences largely outshining attacks, with neither side able to generate huge momentum going forward.
After a couple of early wides at either end, it was the All-Ireland final's first 40+ player in aeons (records will have to be consulted) who landed the first score, Cluxton stroking over a 45. He would repeat the trick before the break, scoring Dublin's sixth and last point of the half.
A cacophonous roar greeted David Clifford's first score, the Fossa great collecting a pass from Moynihan and curling over off his left peg - in similar fashion to the first half brace he scored against Derry.
The game was played on a tit for tat basis for the remainder of the half, Kerry relatively cagey in possession, Dublin unusually profligate in attack.
While Mannion and Fenton stroked over points for the Dubs, O'Shea responded with a couple of frees for the defending champions, the latter after McCarthy dunted him over fairly unceremoniously.
A few Dublin players went in the book in the first half, Lee Gannon seeing yellow after a shuddering collision with goalkeeper Shane Ryan as a skied point attempt from Mannion fell in the square. David Gough adjudged the Whitehall player the guilty man.
With the clock winding down at 0-06 to 0-04 to the Dubs, a big score arrived out of almost nothing. David Clifford collected a pass in the corner of the Hill and Cusack Stand, shepherded as usual by Fitzsimons.
He angled a perfect pass inside for Paul Geaney, who was loitering goal-side of his marker.
With Cluxton and the covering defenders flapping around him, Geaney spun around a couple of times in an attempt to a clear shot, dropping the ball on the ground at one stage rather than a second successive bounce, and slipped the ball under the Dublin keeper.
It was the first time Cluxton had seen the net ripple behind him in championship since the drawn 2019 final.
The final has been slow to come to life but a stunning pass from David Clifford and Paul Geaney's finish puts Kerry ahead just before the break. pic.twitter.com/ktH7EVfSy7
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 30, 2023
Brian Howard levelled the game almost immediately on the restart though there was little sign of the usual jet-fuelled third quarter from the Dubs.
Gough, not for the first time, penalised some off-the-ball tugging from Cormac Costello, then moved the free in front of goal for the subsequent dissent. David Clifford tapped over the free to restore the lead.
Amid the obsession with David Clifford-Sean O'Shea, Kerry's supporting cast of forwards came to the fore. Paudie Clifford landed the first of three second-half points to cut the gap to two.
Then Paul Geaney, widely thought to have left his best form in 2014, raided in from the left to fist a point to leave his tally at 1-01.
Basquel - his first since his quarter-final performance - and David Clifford traded points from play to leave it at 1-08 to 0-08.
With the momentum drifting Kerry's way, it swung back violently on 46 minutes. The champions were amiably popping balls around in defence when Gavin White's overly nonchalant backwards pass was intercepted by Basquel.
With a two-on-one, the corner forward advanced, slipping a pass to Paddy Small, whose shot ricocheted off the diving Paul Murphy to the roof of the net.
Kerry give it away in midfield again as Paddy Small's deflected effort finds the net
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 30, 2023
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Kerry weren't fazed by the jolt of the goal and put in one of their most impressive passages in the game. Seanie O'Shea quietly restored the lead with a free. In a stellar half, Paudie landed a brace, the second an opportunistically fisted score from a tight angle.
Within four minutes of the goal, they had re-established the three-point lead that had momentarily vanished. There and then, they looked like winners.
However, the fisted score to make it 1-11 to 1-08 immediately preceded a 15-minute scoring drought, which occurred, almost to the minute, in the same period against Derry. There would be no reprieve this time.
Needless to say, Dublin turned to their bench, a more potent instrument than in the gap years of 2021 and 2022. Jack McCaffrey was first to be sent for on 48 minutes and was typically busy and influential, making constant darting runs.
Mannion remained the go-to in times of strife, nailing a timely free on 52 minutes. Dublin had struggled to create chances against Kerry's well arranged defence but gradually they began to pick some locks.
They narrowed the deficit to a minimum with a well-worked score, Kilkenny slipping a low, dribbly pass to O'Callaghan, who swiftly transferred it to Basquel off his knees, the corner-forward firing over his second of the game. It was the level of speedy interchange required.
Mannion followed up with another score to level the game. The game was still evenly poised but Dublin's attacking play was looking increasingly assured and economical.
Brian Fenton strode down the central highway of Kerry's midfield to notch his obligatory point of the half, putting Dublin in front for the first time in the second half.
Killian Spillane, returning after a lengthy injury, slipped seamlessly back into the swing, curling over a towering score from the left side, Kerry's first since the 50th minute. An angled pass found Paddy Small on the 13-metre line, the wing-forward pointing on the swivel to restore Dublin's lead as we headed for home.
On the stroke of injury-time, Clifford again rounded Fitzsimons and, with a goal or point potentially on the table, lashed wide of the near post.
Fortunately for Kerry, Gough was already playing advantage for a jersey tug in the lead-up, O'Shea clipping over the resultant free.
Six minutes of injury-time to play, scores tied at 1-13 apiece, it was there for either team.
But as so often before, Dublin's mastery of the end game shone through. It was Mannion, another of the absentees last year, who scored the game's pivotal point on 73 minutes, shutting the door on a possible goal to fire Dublin ahead.
Kerry worked the ball to Clifford again but his final shot drifted wide of the far post this time.
The Dubs now held possession and a one-point lead in the closing minutes. There was no coming back and Dean Rock, filling his boots late in games all year, clipped over the final free.
It was Dublin's 10th All-Ireland final victory in a row, continuing an unbeaten run in deciders stretching back to the mid-90s.
If Dublin's 2010s generation are all to depart en masse, though it remains to be seen, it's a deeply satisfying way to end things.
Dublin: Stephen Cluxton (0-02, 1 '45, 1f); Eoin Murchan, Michael Fitzsimons, David Byrne; James McCarthy, John Small, Lee Gannon; Brian Fenton (0-02), Brian Howard (0-01); Paddy Small (1-01), Paul Mannion (0-05, 1f), Ciaran Kilkenny; Cormac Costello (0-01, 1f), Con O'Callaghan, Colm Basquel (0-02).
Subs: Jack McCaffrey for Gannon (48), Niall Scully for Costello (53), Sean MacMahon for Howard (62) Cian Murphy for Murchan (64), Dean Rock (0-01) for Paddy Small (68)
Kerry: Shane Ryan; Graham O'Sullivan, Jason Foley, Tom O'Sullivan; Paul Murphy, Tadhg Morley, Gavin White; Diarmuid O'Connor, Jack Barry; Dara Moynihan, Seán O'Shea (0-05, 4f), Stephen O'Brien; Paudie Clifford (0-03), David Clifford (0-03, 1f), Paul Geaney (1-01).
Subs: Brian Ó Beaglaoich for Murphy (55), Adrian Spillane for Moynihan (57), Micheál Burns for O'Brien (57), Killian Spillane (0-01) for Geaney (63), Mike Breen for Barry (66)
Referee: David Gough
