1967 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final

The 1967 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was a Gaelic football match played at Croke Park on 24 September 1967 to determine the winners of the 1967 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the 81st season of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, a tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association for the champions of the four provinces of Ireland. The final was contested by Cork of Munster and Meath of Leinster, with Meath winning by 1-9 to 0-9.^[1][2]

1967 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final

Event	1967 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Meath Cork 1-9 (12) 0-9 (9)
Date	24 September 1967
Venue	Croke Park, Dublin
Referee	John Moloney (Tipperary)
Attendance	70,343
← 1966 1968 →

The All-Ireland final between Cork and Meath was a unique occasion, as it was the first-ever championship meeting between the two teams. Cork were appearing in their first final in over a decade, while Meath were lining out in their second successive All-Ireland decider.

The first half was a dour, tense affair riddled with mistakes. Cork surged ahead into a three-point lead, while Meath only registered one point in the first half after being held scoreless for 27 minutes.

In the second half, Meath were a transformed team. In his Irish Times column, Paddy Downey wrote: "Their second half transformation was so unexpected that it seems incredible. Nevertheless, it was a rally which for grit and guts and spirit surpassed anything I have seen in a final." Six minutes after the restart, Terry Kearns slipped unnoticed behind the Cork backline to punch Matt Kerrigan's centre to the net from 5 yards out. Inexperience cost Cork. Their last-minute goal chance was pulled back because Con O'Sullivan's short free to Flor Hayes was deemed too short by the referee.^[3]

Meath's All-Ireland victory was their first since 1954. The win gave them their third All-Ireland title over all and put them joint eighth on the all-time roll of honour along with Mayo, Louth and Cork.

Peter McDermott of Meath, also known as "the man in the cap" and a winner of All-Ireland medals with the team in 1949 and 1954, was coach of the 1967-winning team.^[4]

Cork's All-Ireland defeat was their third since their last All-Ireland victory in 1945. They previously lost All-Ireland finals in 1956 and 1957.

Meath subsequently toured Australia for some early examples of international rules football. Meath played five Australian state sides and won them all, producing a combined score of 26-43 to 3-29.^[5]

Match

Details

Cork	0-9 - 1-9	Meath
T Kearns 1-2, P Mulvanney 0-2, M Mellett 0-2, N Curran 0-2, T Brennan 0-1.		C O'Sullivan 0-3, E Philpott 0-3, B O'Neill 0-1, F Hayes 0-1, M O'Loughlin 0-1.

24 September 1967

15:15 IST

Croke Park, Dublin

Attendance: 70,343

Referee: John Moloney (Tipperary)

Cork

Meath

References

1. Lyons, Tom (18 August 2007). "Cork v Meath here we go again !". The Southern Star. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
2. "Cork v Meath: Latest chapter in an old rivalry". Irish Independent. 15 August 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
3. Kilfeather, Seán (12 September 1996). "No rest for the boys of 67". Irish Times. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
4. "GAA legend 'the man in the cap' who won two All-Ireland medals with Meath". Irish Times. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
5. "History of International Rules Football". Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2008.