It’s a rivalry that extends back to 1889 when Cork and Kerry met for the first time in the championship in Mallow and 118 years later they’re set for their biggest clash in history when they meet in the Bank of Ireland football championship final in Croke Park on Sunday week (3.30).

Meath referee, David Coldrick will referee what will be the second 'same-province' final in four years, following Armagh v Tyrone in 2003. Cork v Kerry has always been one of the great rivalries in Gaelic football but it has intensified since the introduction of the All-Ireland qualifiers in 2001 and has resulted in three meetings between the sides in All-Ireland semi-finals (2002-2005-2006), followed by this year’s historic clash in the final. Kerry won all three semi-finals.

It will be the 13th championship meeting between the counties this decade and the 5th since the start of last year’s campaign. They met three times last year with the score standing at 1-1 each with one draw while Kerry beat Cork by two points in this year’s Munster final.

PATHS TO THE FINAL

CORK
Cork 2-14 Limerick 0-7 (Munster quarter-final)
Cork 2-18 Tipperary 0-10 (Munster semi-final)
Kerry 1-15 Cork 1-13 (Munster final)
Cork 0-16 Louth 0-14 (Qualifier – Round 3)
Cork 1-11 Sligo 0-8 (All-Ireland quarter-final)
Cork 1-16 Meath 0-9 (All-Ireland semi-final)
Average For: 1-15; Average Against: 0-11

Cork Scorers
James Masters...............3-27
Donncha O’Connor.......1-21
Pearse O’Neill................1-10
Kevin McMahon...........0-6
Nicholas Murphy..........0-4
John Miskella...............1-1
Derek Kavanagh...........0-3
Conor McCarthy..........0-3
Daniel Goulding...........0-3
Noel O’Leary...............1-0
Fintan Goold................0-2
Michael Cussen............0-2
Kieran O’Connor........0-2
Kevin O’Sullivan.........0-2
Ger Spillane.................0-1
Michael Shields............0-1


KERRY
Kerry 2-15 Waterford 0-4 (Munster semi-final);
Kerry 1-15 Cork 1-13 (Munster final)
Kerry 1-12 Monaghan 1-11 (All-Ireland quarter-final)
Kerry 1-15 Dublin 0-16 (All-Ireland semi-final)
Average For: 1-15; Average Against: 0-12


Kerry Scorers
Colm Cooper...............1-13
Mike Frank Russell....0-11
Declan O’Sullivan......2-7
Eoin Brosnan..............2-6
Bryan Sheehan...........0-5
Paul Galvin.................0-3
Tomas O Se................0-3
Kieran Donaghy.........0-2
Paul O’Connor...........0-2
Sean O’Sullivan.........0-2
Marc O Se..................0-1
Killian Young............0-1
Sean O’Sullivan........0-1

LAST TEN CHAMPIONSHIP CLASHES
2007 – Kerry 1-15 Cork 1-13 (Munster final)
2006 – Kerry 0-16 Cork 0-10 (All-Ireland semi-final)
2006 – Cork 1-12 Kerry 0-9 (Munster final replay)
2006 – Cork 0-10 Kerry 0-10 (Munster final)
2005 – Kerry 1-19 Cork 0-9 (All-Ireland semi-final)
2005 – Kerry 1-11 Cork 0-11 (Munster final)
2004 – Kerry 0-15 Cork 0-7 (Munster semi-final)
2002 – Kerry 3-19 Cork 2-7 (All-Ireland semi-final)
2002 – Cork 0-15 Kerry 1-9 (Munster semi-final replay)
2002 – Cork 0-8 Kerry 0-8 (Munster semi-final)
Kerry 6, Cork 2, Draws 2.

LAST CLASH: Kerry 1-15 Cork 1-13 (2007 Munster final)

Kerry held on against a driving Cork finish to win the Munster title in Killarney on July 1 last. Cork led by 0-9 to 0-7 at half-time after playing with the wind but Kerry quickly asserted themselves and opened a six point lead in the second half before Cork battled back to draw level with six minutes remaining. However, points by Kieran Donaghy and sub Sean O’Sullivan clinched a Kerry win.

Scorers: Kerry: MF Russell 0-6 (0-5 frees), C Cooper 1-2; Declan O’Sullivan 0-3, K Donaghy 0-2, E Brosnan 0-1, S O’Sullivan 0-1.
Cork: D O’Connor 1-4 (0-4 frees), J Masters 0-4 (0-2 frees, 0-1 sideline), M Cussen 0-2, P O’Neill 0-1, K McMahon 0-1, N Murphy 0-1.

Kerry: D Murphy; P Reidy, T O’Sullivan, M O Se; T O Se, A O’Mahony, K Young; D O Se, M Quirke; Declan O’Sullivan, E Brosnan, P Galvin; C Cooper, K Donaghy, MF Russell.
Subs: S O’Sullivan for Galvin; Darren O’Sullivan for Brosnan, T Griffin for Quirke, B Sheehan for Declan O’Sullivan.

Cork: P O’Shea; M Shields, G Canty, K O’Connor; N O’Leary, G Spillane, A Lynch; D Kavanagh, N Murphy; F Goold, P O’Neill, K McMahon; J Masters, M Cussen, D O’Connor.
Subs: J Miskella for Goold, C McCarthy for Lynch.

ALL-IRELAND SF FINAL WINS
Kerry 34 (1903-04-09-13-14-24-26-29-30-31-32-37-39-40-41-46-53-55-59-62-69-70-75-78-79-80-81-84-85-86-97-2000-2004-2006)
Cork 6 (1890-1911-45-73-89-90)

ALL-IRELAND FINAL DEFEATS
Kerry: 17 (1892-1905-15-23-27-38-44-47-60-64-65-68-72-76-82-2002-2005)
Cork: 13 (1891-93-97-99-1906-07-56-57-67-87-88-93-99)

ALL-IRELAND ROLL OF HONOUR
Will Kerry clinch their 35th Bank of Ireland senior football title and move thirteen clear of nearest rivals, Dublin? Or will Cork win their 7th title and join Meath in joint third place behind Kerry, Dublin and Galway.

Nineteen counties have won the All-Ireland senior football title leaving the following still chasing their first crown: Antrim, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Sligo, Leitrim, Clare, Waterford, Carlow, Laois, Longford, Westmeath, Wicklow, Kilkenny.

34 – KERRY (1903-04-09-13-14-24-26-29-30-31-32-37-39-40-41-46-53-55-59-62-69-70-75-78-79-80-81-84-85-86-97-2000-2004-2006)
22 – Dublin (1891-92-97-98-99-1901-02-06-07-08-21-22-23-42-58-63-74-76-77-83-95)
9 – Galway (1925-34-38-56-64-65-66-98-2001)
7 – Meath (1949-54-67-87-88-96-99)
6 – CORK (1890-1911-45-73-89-90)
5 – Down (1960-61-68-91-94)
5 – Cavan (1933-35-47-48-52)
5 – Wexford (1893-1915-16-17-18)
4 – Kildare (1905-19-27-28)
4- Tipperary (1889-95-1900-1920)
3 – Louth (1910-12-57)
3 – Mayo (1936-50-51)
3 – Offaly (1971-72-82)
2 – Limerick (1887-1896)
2 – Roscommon (1943-44)
2- Tyrone (2003-2005)
1 – Armagh (2002)
1 – Derry (1993)
1 – Donegal (1992)