Down have sent shockwaves coursing through the All-Ireland football championship with a deserved six-point win over Kerry in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
The hungrier, more positive side from the north made their illustrious opponents look lead-legged and rusty throughout, and every inch a side that has been on the road for as long as it has.
James McCartan's side were the more confident and fluent from the off. They bagged 1-3 in the first quarter, the goal a sweet finish from Mark Poland, and 1-1 of that total came directly as a result of dozy Kerry labouring on the ball. The Munster champions did rally and closed to within two points, but just when it seemed Kerry had shaken off the rust, Down came again and stretched 1-7 to 0-4 clear by the interval, Martin Clarke's and Poland's points the standout scores.
After the break, Kerry, despite the loss of Donnacha Walsh to a second yellow card in the 46th minute, closed to within three points with twenty minutes to go. But keeping in touch with Down largely through placed balls merely disguised the gulf in quality between either side's performance. Kerry were well beaten around midfield - apart from a brief spell of Micheal Quirke dominance in the first half - and had to bring Kieran Donaghy out to the engine room when Quirke went off hurt, leaving them short-handed in turn at the edge of the square.
The ball was scarcely going in there anyway. In the closing quarter, Down simply accelerated clear, although goalie Brendan McVeigh twice had to deny certain Donaghy goals with excellent saves.
At the other end, nothing could keep the scores out though. From the 58th minute, Conor McGinn and two beauties by Benny Coulter, and another from Ronan Murtagh, left it 1-13 to 0-9. Bryan Sheehan managed a free for Kerry before Down tacked on another three scores, and not even David Moran's injury time penalty could take the gloss off a magnificent Down victory.