Tony Leen: A Kerry gut-check that could turn into a fatal knockout blow

With David Clifford there is always a chance, but it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that this Kerry side is running out of road.

HOT STUFF: Meath manager Robbie Brennan after his side's victory in Glenisk O'Connor Park in Tullamore. Pic: Tom Beary/Sportsfile

Well, there's your Kerry gut check – a blow to the solar plexus that left a bemused Jack O’Connor and his dazed players with more questions than answers, more self-doubts than is healthy for any side bracing itself for the summer’s steep climbs.

But the big surprise of the weekend’s All-Ireland SFC group games has to be more about Meath and Robbie Brennan than the side they out-matched in all the key benchmarks in Tullamore’s O’Connor Park.