Kingdom fail the

This was not in the prepared and prescribed script. Mayo 1-19 Kerry 0-17. It was unexpected. Kerry were not supposed to lose an unbeaten 28-year championship record in Killarney. They had shown some of the brilliant play that earned them the Sam Maguire in 2022 by demolishing Clare in Limerick a few weeks ago.

On Saturday last it was the perfect event, the clash of the league champions against the All-Ireland champions. The wide-open spaces of the Fitzgerald Stadium with over 23,000 spectators enjoying brilliant sunshine and no wind factor worth talking about.

Thousands of Mayo supporters travelled to Killarney, boosting the local economy in a big way, hoping that they would not be at the receiving end of a backlash from Kerry after that awful display earlier in the league. Kerry could bite back and run in several goals as they did so against hapless Clare.

The lovely Mayo supporters beside me wondered if their men would be able to limit the best footballer in the country to 2-6 and which three would they use to mark him? That and more since a number of Mayo regulars were still not back to full fitness. Those were their pre-match doubts. No wonder, even Job would not match the patience of Mayo supporters longing for an All-Ireland since 1951.

Reality

So much for the expectations. The reality was very different. Mayo not alone beat Kerry fair and square but bossed them, ignoring the reputations of nearly all of the Kerry team, not just the starting 15, but also the subs brought who made no difference whatsoever.

Kerry were off the pace, going through the motions, playing catchup throughout. No excuses, playing a true footballing team in perfect conditions. They did not perform, the poorest championship display since that terrible day in Croke Park in the All-Ireland semi-final where they didn't raise a gallop against Meath.

On Saturday they didn’t even get into a trot. It was one of those awful days for the Kerry players and management.

Just like bad petrol if you had the misfortune to have it in the tank. Misfiring, pinging, increased emissions, making for an unsteady journey. It was not the day to go for the NCT test, but it can be a blessing in disguise. The tester has identified why and where the green and gold car failed.

Jack O’Connor and the management team will have the re-test within 10 days. They made no excuses. How could they? Sure, only two Kerry players performed well, and they had to be very good with colleagues not performing to anything like basic levels.

Shane Ryan and David Clifford played at the level one expects from All-Stars; they were magnificent. Both goalkeepers excelled. Indeed, by the 11th minute Kerry should have been 2-3 in arrears only for the brilliance of the Rathmore man. Now for the positives. A good team does not go from hero to zero in one game such as this one. Jack will be glad to be able to able to address the deficiencies shown up on last Saturday afternoon’s NCT and it was just that. Spell out the acronym, National Championship Test. No real worries for Kerry about any trapdoor, as yet. Failing to Cork away and playing Louth at a neutral venue are the ideal opportunities to restore normal service. Kerry are not out of the championship and will qualify for the stage when all the top teams come into play.

SLUGGISH

One may be inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to Dylan Casey on what was his first big day in championship fare. He was well beaten by Aidan O'Shea who went on to earn Man of the Match. All the backs were sluggish. Foley did best. Midfield was wiped out and never succeeded in winning the kickouts when the respective goalkeepers had to go long. Hardly adequate has been the way I have described the Gaeil duo of Barry and O’Connor. Corrective adjustment has helped by using Paudie Clifford as a third midfielder. Kerry need Clifford playing the Paul Galvin role of forager picking up loose and dirty ball.

What surprised me is that Kerry did not try out Barry Dan O’Sullivan for the second half. I felt that he was the man Kerry needed at midfield. His work commitments as a very busy vet have not