Cork came within a whisker of pulling off a famous upset in Killarney this afternoon after holding overwhelming favourites Kerry to a 0-10 to 0-10 draw.
Given little chance before throw-in, Billy Morgan's side wasted no time in tearing up the script and raced into an early four-point lead as Kerry appeared to be under the misguided assumption that the final would be nothing more than a cake-walk.
Cork clearly cared little for the Kingdom's reputation and were six points to the good after 30 minutes, James Masters chipping in with four scores as they led by 0-7 to 0-1.
But the challengers almost threw it all away moments later as the red mist descended on Anthony Lynch, the defender dismissed for an errant elbow.
That Cork managed just three more scores in the entire contest is telling, and Kerry quickly chipped away at the lead with three scores before the interval.
Cork, however, showed tremendous resolve after the break and while they rarely threatened the scorers, Kerry's much vaunted forward-line was forced to sweat blood for each and every point.
The holders led just once, Brian Sheehan putting them ahead with four minutes remaining, but Masters earned a replay with a close-range free late on.
Kerry also finished the match with 14-men after Ciaran Donaghy was shown a second yellow card.