Player Watch: Irrepressible Connolly escapes Kerry’s shackles again

To the end first. Peter Crowley just had his bowels opened by Kevin McManamon. No free. The ball spills loose. Diarmuid Connolly, gliding past his afternoon shadow, stoops to whisper sweet nothing. Crowley struggles to regain equilibrium, as the medic and physio plead with him to lie down.

Crowley is desperate to find Connolly so he breaks from their despairing grasps, but it is too late.

Sixty metres downfield Connolly, in full glorious flow, hammers the last nail into Éamonn Fitzmaurice’s Kerry. It’s deep in injury time when that point, his third, confirms Dublin’s utter dominance over their greatest rivals.

Connolly is and has been central to it all. Every moment he plays nowadays deserves watching.

After Amhrán na bhFiann others – Ciarán Kilkenny, Paul Flynn, James McCarthy – shake hands with the first among equals. He goes onto Crowley at centre forward but quickly slips to the right wing. Crowley obediently follows.

With barely a minute gone Connolly’s right boot draws first blood.

Dogged diligence

Crowley takes a dogged diligence to this man-marking duty but that retreating arching run of Connolly always lands him on possession with chest open, facing the posts. Another point goes over with Crowley hanging off him.

Referee David Gough had already blown up. Dean Rock obliges to continue his near flawless free-taking display.

Dublin lead by two, seemingly coasting, as Connolly rearranges the shop – Kilkenny, Flynn and Brian Fenton take instructions before flying off in different directions.

Kilkenny catches a Brian Kelly kick-out and feeds Connolly. Second point, Dublin 0-9 to 0-4, certainly coasting now.

High, diagonal balls rain down on Gooch Cooper and Kieran Donaghy but Johnny Cooper and Philly McMahon deny them clean possession.

When it turns sour for Dublin Connolly cuts an increasingly frustrated, statuesque figure upfield as Kerry press and turn the stroll into an epic contest.

He edges towards the tunnel as Colm Cooper makes it 2-8 to 0-9. No Dublin score since his last in the 24th minute.

The whistle goes and a livid -looking Connolly heads for cover but is obstructed by unwise linesman Paddy Neilan who thinks there is more time to play. His raised palm is swathed away.

Connolly and Dublin return with renewed loyalty to their way of playing this game, and to the values Jim Gavin constantly preaches. He arcs and turns to find David Byrne who gifts Bernard Brogan a point.

Rare moment

Connolly is laid down by Colm Cooper. Stays on the grass long enough to be unmarked. Then he sees the value in it as medics attempt to examine him. He leaps up in a rare moment of freedom but Dean Rock doesn't need him as Dublin keep chipping into Kerry's lead.

Connolly berates the other linesman, Joe McQuillan, for doing nothing about the Cooper incident. The crowd drowns out his roar and McQuillan looks away. A Connolly wide off his left is followed by more Rock points before a Brian Fenton score levels it up.

The game is beginning to pass Connolly by, and Kerry are all the better for it. James O’Donoghue puts them three clear with 10 minutes remaining.

Rock keeps Dublin alive, the latest free coming after Paul Murphy fouls Connolly.

David Gough is not black guarding any man today.

Another Diarmuid Connolly wide. Maybe the shot was rushed, but there seems to be a lack of power in his legs. In this awfully draining affair as he must also mark Bryan Sheehan on Kerry kick-outs.

Maybe he is fading, maybe Dublin are spent.

Alan Brogan wrote earlier this year, "The bigger the challenge, the better we see from Diarmuid." It's true, he was magnificent the last time Dublin lost in championship, against Donegal in 2014, but those earlier runs have dried up. He is just standing there now more often than moving.

Crowley seems happy by his side.

Enthralling duel

It's a heavy day for everyone as the clock strikes 70 minutes. Connolly demands the ball off Brian Fenton, who is in an enthralling duel with David Moran. Connolly gathers, solos, picks out Kevin McManamon, always McManamon.

Kerry's bane strikes again.

It goes to the wire. Connolly takes his customary yellow card after scragging an advancing Barry John Keane. No choice there. Theme of the game. Get them before they into range.

Next, McManamon empties the advancing Crowley. Play on. Diarmuid goes past his prone marker and way up the field. The legs are fresh now, the strike when it was needed most is strong and true.

Come Gough’s final shrill, Connolly gives Crowley a quick hug – Crowley rushes the referee but Gooch intercedes – before embracing each and every Kerry defender as he wades towards a rolling Hill 16.

Connolly bows his head as the blue wave crashes down upon him.

Drenched in a rare feeling and well on course for the footballer of the year award that has been cruelly and, some may agree, wrongly denied him.

Lee Keegan’s up next.