For all of the credit Mayo deserve for their emphatic victory in Killarney last weekend, it must also be said that Kerry were well short of the expected standard.
Jack O'Connor's side have coasted through much of 2023, producing some mixed form in the league and then winning the Munster championship at a canter. It was assumed that they would raise their intensity level for the visit of Mayo, although that certainly was not the case.
Kerry were outfought, outthought, and outplayed by Kevin McStay's men. While the hosts did stay within touching distance for periods, that was largely down to moments of brilliance from David Clifford and Shane Ryan.
It will still be expected that the Munster champions will be competing at the business end of the championship, although serious improvements will be needed in the weeks ahead.
Lee Keegan surprised by one part of Kerry loss to Mayo
Lee Keegan was no doubt thrilled to see his old team Mayo claim a big win in Killarney, but he was taken aback by the way the home team played on the day.
Writing in his column for RTÉ, the Westport man said he was shocked by the 'over-confident' Kerry outfit that took to the pitch for the game.
Mayo's embrace of a more direct attacking approach was facilitated by the hosts in Killarney.
We were wondering last week what Mayo would arrive in Fitzgerald Stadium following their lengthy hiatus. We got our answer, at any rate.
More surprising was the Kerry team that showed up. They didn't appear to be clued in on what Mayo would bring.
I think they were over-confident. They came in without having been challenged in Munster. On the evidence of the game, they didn't seem to have their homework done. Which is a shocking thing to say about a Kerry team managed by Jack O'Connor.
In a strange way, Kerry were the ideal opponents for Mayo given the week that was in it - odd to say about playing the All-Ireland champions in Killarney, where they hadn't been beaten in nearly three decades.
But Kerry's approach played precisely into Mayo's hands. They were almost naive...
It was especially surprising given that it's not exactly a secret that Mayo struggle when the games become slow and monotonous, when they come up against counter-attacking teams who play with a massed defence, as we saw in the Connacht championship loss.
Whether it was overconfidence or something else, it's clear that Kerry were way off it in this game.
Jack O'Connor will be hoping that this is a temporary blip as opposed to any sort of long lasting issue.
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