NFL Division One A/ Kerry 1-12 Fermanagh 0-8:There wasn't even the slightest trace of a suggestion that Kerry weren't going to win yesterday's Allianz NFL Division One A at Kingspan Breffni Park.
Not even the handing to Fermanagh of what was for a couple of minutes a two-man advantage disturbed the equilibrium of the holders' supremacy.
On this evidence Fermanagh, notionally the home team, are unlikely to have anything more elevated than Division Three football to showcase in their redeveloped home in Brewster Park next season.
From the fifth minute when Michael Russell fastened on to a break from Darragh Ó Sé's booming kick and clipped in the match's only goal it was hard to see an upset happening and that's the way things worked out.
For diversion there was some strict refereeing from Tyrone's Michael Hughes, which resulted in red cards for three players but the dismissals didn't affect the course of the game.
Both sides made changes before the start. Daniel Bohane missed out on his debut for Kerry after injuring his hand in the warm-up and Donnacha Walsh exploited the reprieve - he had been dropped to make way for Bohane - by giving a lively display on the wing.
Fermanagh were shuffled around more thoroughly. Shane McDermott moved to centrefield with Paul Johnston coming in at wing back - as a late replacement for Mark Murphy - whereas Tom Brewster was a straight swap for Mark Little. Completing the feng-shui was Martin McGrath lining up at full forward. For the most part, and despite an improved second half, Fermanagh lacked the strength and craft to create openings. They were busy in attack during the first 35 minutes but five scoring chances - two points and three wides - was their lot.
Kerry were able remorselessly to make field positions count. Referee Hughes's punctilious attention to off-the-ball fouls - plus obviously Fermanagh's inclination to infringe - played into Bryan Sheehan's hands. The Kerry captain didn't have his most accurate day with the placed ball but still managed six frees and a point from play. On 20 minutes one of those frees put Kerry 1-5 to 0-1 ahead and a rout was on the cards until the All-Ireland champions began to shed Footballers of the Year. Tomás Ó Sé, a recipient in 2004, suffered a nasty hamstring injury in a an area of the pitch that was badly scarred and also caused trouble to other players, and had to be replaced in the 23rd minute.
Then after a poor wide, Ó Sé's 2006 successor Kieran Donaghy picked up a straight red card after letting his frustrations get the better of him, thus spoiling the opportunity for a meagre crowd to watch the current All Star full back Barry Owens try his hand against the player who re-invented full forward play last year. Up until then honours were more or less even.
It was Donaghy's fourth dismissal - or third if you want to disregard the recent double yellow against Mayo, dubiously struck down by the CHC - in a Kerry jersey in just under a year.
Furthermore it meant the county would maintain their record of not finishing a League match with 15 so far this campaign. Manager Pat O'Shea - a successful weekend behind him after guiding Dr Crokes to the All-Ireland final on Saturday - didn't mince his words. "It was important for us to come up and get two points. It's always hard to play away from home. The points were important but they came at a price, having probably Kieran out for a month. It's something that I'm upset about, to be honest. We've had three games and men sent off in each of them. It's not something I'm really proud of. He's a high profile player but he has to realise that and the responsibility that comes with it."
By the break Fermanagh trailed 0-2 to 1-7 and it could have been worse had Eamonn Fitzmaurice availed of an open goal after a mix-up between goalkeeper Chris Breen and Owens, now playing the spare-man role.
McGrath drove Fermanagh forward in the second half and Ciarán O'Reilly and Eamon Maguire provided hints of menace but tellingly, the most incisive attacking move came from Owens foraging up the left wing shortly after the resumption.
For all that Fermanagh outscored Kerry in the second half the deficit never reduced below six although the playing numbers continued to drop. The winners' replacement wing back, Rónán Ó Flatharta, went on a crime spree, racking up a ticking, a yellow and a second yellow in the space of 12 minutes.
Shortly afterwards Fermanagh goallkeeper Breen was given the line after an off-the-ball clash with Russell.
Kerry gave a run to Séamus Scanlon, who actually made his championship debut the same day as Colm Cooper nearly five years ago but has been mostly off the radar since. The Currow centrefielder played well and bagged a point.
Afterwards Fermanagh manager Charlie Mulgrew declined to talk to the press. Hard to blame him.
KERRY: D Murphy; M Ó Sé, T O'Sullivan, P Reidy; T Ó Sé, A O'Mahony, K Young; D Ó Sé, T Griffin; D Walsh (0-1), E Fitzmaurice, B Sheehan (capt; 0-7, six frees); D Quill (0-1, a free), K Donaghy, MF Russell (1-2). Subs: R Ó Flatharta for T Ó Sé ( 24 mins), P O'Connor for Quill (50 mins), S Scanlon (0-1)for O'Connor (62 mins), R Hussey for Russell (69 mins), M Quirke for Sheehan (72 mins).
FERMANAGH: C Breen; N Bogue, B Owens, S Goan; P Johnston, S Lyons, P Sherry; S McDermott, J Sherry; T Brewster, S Doherty, E Maguire (0-2); C McElroy, M McGrath (0-1), C O'Reilly (0-5, four frees). Subs: M Little for Doherty (half-time), M Murphy for Brewster (52 mins), R Johnston for P Sherry (69 mins).
Referee: M Hughes(Tyrone).
