Earley plays Down hype after Orchard raid

KILDARE’S victory in Crossmaglen last Sunday raised a few eyebrows, but Dermot Earley has challenged his team-mates to forget that success and reach for even loftier heights.

As opening day shocks go, Kildare’s two-point win superseded even Dublin’s bad-tempered win in Omagh and continues a growing trend of recent round-one tremors such as Longford’s defeat of Kerry in 2004 and Wexford’s six-point success over Armagh 12 months ago.

The lesson for Kildare is neither Longford nor Wexford ultimately managed to achieve their season’s ambitions, the midlanders being relegated and Pat Roe’s side losing the NFL final before falling short of that elusive Leinster final appearance.