Christy Ring Cup round one: Kerry 2-17 Down 2-10
THIS was what Kerry boss Eamonn Kelly had been warning of.
As soon as the Kingdom secured promotion to Division 1B, he began to warn that his charges would now have a target on their backs.
If his players were wondering what that might feel like then they didn't have to wait for long to find out. Down rolled into town on Saturday afternoon and gave their high-flying hosts a stern examination. For Kerry the game represented a reality check, for Down a shot in the arm.
After a league campaign which didn't scale any real heights, Michael Johnson's men gave every indication that they remain contenders for a competition they last won just two years ago. Incidentally at they did so at Kerry's expense, having lost to the very same opposition in the first round of the competition.
They started like a house on fire here against their somewhat lackadaisical rivals, outscoring the Kingdom 1-3 to a single point inside the opening ten minutes. The goal coming courtesy of the hugely-impressive Danny Toner.
The Mourne men worked hard, pressing high up the pitch, giving Kerry very little time on the ball. Kerry, by contrast, allowed Down to hit numerous uncontested short puck-outs, giving them a platform to build attacks from deep.
Kerry gradually came to grips with the situation and with John Griffin hugely influential for the hosts in the middle of the park, went in at half-time with a relatively comfortable lead of eight points - 2-7 to 1-5 - as a result of goals by Padraig Boyle and Colm Harty.
In the second half Down regain their composure and got right back into the game. They dominated the middle third of the pitch and, despite playing with a relatively conservative game plan, had their chances to take the game to Kerry.
With 40 minutes on the clock Toner forced a magnificent save from rookie Kerry goalkeeper Stephen Murphy. Had the sliotar found the back of Murphy's net then who knows what kind of a game it might have been.
"The scoreboard doesn't reflect the game," was Michael Johnson's assessment.
"We were well in the game to be honest. We lost it really in the middle of the first half, they got a lot of breaking ball around the middle and Kerry hurt us then.
"It is encouraging yeah, we carved out a couple of great goal chances. We just have to work on them if they come the next day."
Down did get a second goal, taken well by second half sub Chris Egan in the closing stages. Too little too late, perhaps, but encouraging all the same.
Kerry: S Murphy, D Fitzell, P Costello, K Carmody, S Weir, D Dineen (0-1), D Collins, J Griffin, P Kelly (0-4), M O'Leary (0-1), S Nolan (0-8, 7f), C Harty (1-0), M Boyle, P Boyle (1-1), J Egan (0-1)
Subs: John O'Neill for M Boyle (half-time), T Casey for S Weir (47), D Butler (0-1) for J Egan (60), A Royle for M O'Leary (67), R Horgan for D Fitzell (69)
Down: S Keith, C O'Neill, C Cassidy, M Conlan, M McCullough (0-1), P Flynn, D Hughes, S Dineen, M Hughes, C Woods (0-1f), G Johnson, D McManus, M Magee, D Toner (1-3), J Coyle (0-4, 2f)
Subs: E Sands for M McGee (23), C Baille for D McManus (43), C Egan (1-1) for G Johnson (47), P Sheehan for M McCullough (55), M Nicholson for J Coyle (63)
Referee: J Keane (Galway)
