David Clifford’s stunning 80th-minute free earned Kerry a dramatic 1-19 apiece draw with Dublin at Croke Park.

As league openers go, this one had it all. The All-Ireland champions looked to have pulled victory from the jaws of defeat when Dean Rock’s free pushed them ahead on 77 minutes (with just six minutes of injury time allocated to be played).

With the hosts down to 14 men (Eric Lowndes sent off) and the Munster champions down to twelve (Shane Enright dismissed, Sean O’Shea and Graham O’Sullivan black-carded), a last-gasp Kingdom free was moved closer and the 21-year-old visiting captain showed nerves of steel to loft it over from his hands from distance off his wand of a left boot.

With 42,502 in attendance at a card-strewn encounter, four points from mercurial Man of the Match Brian Fenton and a Dean Rock goal from a 30th-minute penalty gave the Sam Maguire Cup holders a narrow 1-10 to 1-9 interval lead, Clifford firing a sensational Kerry major at the midway stage in the first half.

A trademark Rock free opened the scoring on four minutes and Ciaran Kilkenny fisted the Dubs’ second before Rock’s free cancelled out Gavin Crowley’s effort.

Conor McHugh, a late addition to the Dublin starting XV, swung over their fourth point and Kevin McManamon added a wonderful point off his left foot on the run. James O’Donoghue replied before, on 18 minutes, young Kerry captain fantastic Clifford carved a hole in the Dublin defence and drilled a low left-footed effort to the back of the net.

Fenton restored Dublin’s lead but Sean O’Shea responded from a free before O’Donoghue nudged the visitors ahead, Fenton replying on 23 minutes – 0-7 to 1-4. Fenton’s third – and best – had the All-Ireland champions back in front but back came the Munster kingpins with points from Stephen O’Brien and O’Donoghue before Rock’s shot dropped onto the crossbar.

Rock then won and dispatched a penalty low to the bottom right corner at the Davin End on 30 minutes. Clifford whipped over a beauty and Gavin O’Brien cancelled out McHugh’s point, Clifford equalising from a free in the second of five added minutes.

Lowndes was black-carded and sin-binned before the break but it was Fenton’s fourth that separated the teams when the short whistle sounded.

Paul Murphy tied the scores up within seconds of the restart and then pushed Kerry back in front after Shane Ryan denied the Dubs a second goal by crowding out Kilkenny and smothering his shot. Substitute Liam Kearney landed the visitors’ third unanswered point and it wasn’t until the twelfth minute that Rock (free) registered Dublin’s first second-half score.

O’Shea and Rock traded frees but the pendulum swung in Kerry’s favour 15 minutes from time when Lowndes was yellow-carded – and therefore shown red – for a high tackle on O’Brien, with O’Shea converting the resultant free.

Kerry were also reduced to 14 men for the last ten minutes when O’Sullivan was sin-binned, Rock curling over the accruing free. But O’Shea replied in kind in the 65th minute, James McCarthy notching a rare point from play amid all the frees, Kilkenny then pointing a superb advanced mark to leave a point between them with three minutes remaining.

Dublin drew level in in the 70th minute thanks to Kilkenny (mark) after substitute Aaron Byrne cancelled out Cillian Spillane's free (from a Paul Geaney mark). Scully had the Dubs in front but Geaney replies from a free in the third of six added minutes.

Rock’s late free – with Enright dismissed for a second yellow-card offence when fouling Kilkenny - seemed to have earned Dublin the points but up stepped Clifford to have the final say.

Dublin - E Comerford; P McMahon, D Byrne, E Murchan; E Lowndes, J Small, J McCarthy (0-1); B Fenton (0-4), B Howard; N Scully (0-1), C Kilkenny (0-3, 1m), K McManamon (0-1); C McHugh (0-2, 1m), P Andrews, D Rock (1-6, 1-0pen, 0-6f). Subs: P Mannion for P Andrews, S Bugler for K McManamon, A Byrne (0-1) for C McHugh, R O'Carroll for P McMahon, D O'Brien for S Bugler.

Kerry - S Ryan; J Foley, T Morley, B O Beaglaoich; P Murphy (0-2), S Enright, G Crowley (0-1); A Spillane, S O'Shea (0-5f); G O'Brien (0-1), P Geaney (0-1f), S O'Brien (0-1); J O'Donoghue (0-3), D Clifford (1-3, 0-2f), T Walsh. Subs: L Kearney (0-1) for A Spillane, G O'Sullivan for B O Beaglaoich, K Spillane (0-1m) for J O'Donoghue, M Burns for T Walsh, D Moynihan for S O'Brien.

Referee - S Hurson.

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