An instant classic of a match got the classic ending it deserved as Sean O'Shea sent Kerry through to the All-Ireland final with the last kick of the game.
Having surrendered a five-point half-time lead that got a raucous Croke Park crowd right behind Dublin's charge, Kerry did manage to regain control of the game in the closing stages to set O'Shea up to be the hero.
His 55-metre into Hill 16 actually had plenty to spare as he caught it as sweetly as possible which is especially impressive considering he was kicking into a sizable wind that meant he had to draw it in from the right.
That wasn't the only flashpoint that the centre-forward was at the centre of as towards the end of the first-half he had a penalty saved with a kick that was as meek as his last one was powerful.
Evan Comerford duly saved it but spilled it slightly leaving O'Shea free to take an almighty swing at the rebound which was also blocked and sparked a bit of a melee.
Overall it was a day when big players on both sides stood up in exhausting conditions.
But it'll now be remembered as the first blow Kerry have landed on their old rivals in the Championship for years. And in a poetic twist of fate, O'Shea's free immediately conjured up memories of Stephen Cluxton's winner in the 2011 All-Ireland final which ushered in their era of dominance.
Galway now await The Kingdom in two weeks time so we will see if this is the beginning of a new dawn.
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