The most hyped of all four All-Ireland quarter-finals ultimately proved to be a damp squib on Sunday afternoon, as Kerry and Derry played out a turgid contest at Croke Park.
After their capitulation in Ulster and the All-Ireland round-robin, Derry finally looked to be regaining some of their early season form, while Kerry have been quietly moving through the gears as the season progresses.
The trajectories of both teams had many hoping for a cracker at Croker but, ultimately, the cagey defensive setups deployed by both teams killed any hope of an exciting game.
Mickey Harte is well known for his cautious setups down through the years but the manner in which Kerry approached the game was unfamiliar to fans.
Jack O'Connor's side is littered with attacking talent so to see them approach the game so defensively was certainly a disappointment to many viewers.
Writing in his RTÉ column this week, Mayo legend Lee Keegan shared his belief that events in Croker the day before Kerry faced Derry may have impacted the Kingdom's approach to the game.
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Lee Keegan thinks Dublin exit influenced Kerry gameplan v Derry
30 June 2024; Christopher McKaigue of Derry and David Clifford of Kerry tussle off the ball during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship quarter-final match between Kerry and Derry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Both Kerry and Derry would have entered this summer with eyes on going all the way to Sam Maguire. However, the ominous task of defeating Dublin hung over any county's ambitions of All-Ireland glory.
Former Mayo man Lee Keegan believes that Dublin's shock exit at the hands of Galway on Saturday afternoon may have influenced the cagey approach on display from Kerry against Derry on Sunday.
There was probably another under-played factor which may have contributed to the cagey fare in the Kerry-Derry game.
Kerry went into the weekend as second-favourites for the All-Ireland and the previous evening, they watched Dublin getting knocked out of the championship.
I'd imagine their psychology around the game completely changed. I know from my own time, every team is preoccupied with Dublin.
They probably thought 'Wow! We have a crazy opportunity here! Let's not muck it up now!' I'd say they tightened up in response to that.
Kerry have played Dublin in the last two All-Ireland championships, coming out on top in a thrilling 2022 semi-final before losing out in last year's decider to Dessie Farrell's side.
With the Dubs now out of the picture, all four of the sides remaining will believe that this could be their year.
After the disappointment of last year's final, Kerry will desperately hope that Sam returns to the Kingdom this summer - though they may need to make better use of their attacking firepower if they are to go all the way.
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