Fuming Jack O'Connor doesn't pull any punches while assessing Kerry's shock loss to Meath as Galway test awaits
KERRY boss Jack O'Connor admitted they were subjected to 'a chastening experience' as their status as the last remaining unbeaten team in the Championship was wiped out by Meath.
The Kingdom had to settle for second place in All-Ireland SFC Group 2 after
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His team were beaten 1-22 to 0-16 at Glenisk O'Connor Park
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The Kingdom didn't live up to their billing as All-Ireland contenders
O'Connor's men made the trip to Tullamore on the back of a resounding win over Cork that saw them fire 0-21 after the break.
But on this display against the Royals, the gaffer fumed: 'Very flat and lacking energy so we have to figure out where that came from.
'Compared to the second half against Cork, it was night and day. Meath had all the energy and aggression and we were passive. Back to the drawing board.'
Despite facing a Kerry side who were odds-on favourites, Meath defied the absence of star forward Mathew Costello to claim the result that allows them to bypass next weekend's preliminary quarter-finals.
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It is their second monumental Championship win since Robbie Brennan took the reins, having
Brennan said: 'People writing us off, that's fair enough. It's Kerry and we're still at the early stages of our journey. I wouldn't have any complaints about people thinking we had no chance.
'But we did and I suppose that's the most important thing. We had a plan, we were hoping to execute it and we did for the most part.'
Meath's stranglehold in the middle third gave them a platform to record their first Championship triumph over Kerry since the 2001 All-Ireland semi-final.
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Six points adrift at the break, the Munster champions cut the gap to two.
But Meath killed the game off when two-pointers from Ruairí Kinsella and Conor Duke were followed by a Bryan Menton goal.
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O'Connor said: 'We pushed on for maybe 15, 20 minutes of the second half but we just couldn't get to grips with the kickouts. That's where the game was won and lost.'
While Meath's place in the Sam Maguire last eight is secure, Kerry must regroup for a home preliminary quarter-final next weekend.
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Injuries ruled out Seán O'Shea, Paudie Clifford, Paul Geaney, Brian Ó Beaglaioch, Barry Dan O'Sullivan and Diarmuid O'Connor.
But the Kerry chief insisted: 'We won't be making those excuses. We were just way off it today and Meath were deserving winners.'
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