As “anxious” and “workman like” starts to the championship go that will take some beating, but then Kieran McGeeney is never one to carried away now, is he? Scoring 19 points – and 14 from play – would be enough to satisfy most managers, and in fairness McGeeney didn’t fully back down in his praise.

“Sure it is good to get started like that,” he said, “as you’re always a little anxious coming into the first game.”

“But I wouldn’t say we set the world on fire. It was more workman like, nothing else. We knew they’d come at us hard in the start, but we settled down, got a few goal chances too, even if we didn’t take them.

“So it was definitely a decent day out. 19 scores. But still, with loads of room for improvement.”

Part of their anxiety, McGeeney reckoned, was the decision not to play any challenge games since the league: “Yeah, so we’d a few more in house games instead, and we probably were a wee bit rusty at the start.

“And I didn’t think we were pacey today at all. So we wouldn’t be writing home about anything. It’s funny, we go from not being natural footballers, to potential Sam Maguire winners.

“We’re probably somewhere in the middle, but have to be prepared to go either side if it. And I’m not saying we’re Sam Maguire winners. Other people are saying that.”

It was then put to Offaly manager Tom Coffey, who only took charge after their dismal league run, that he’d been trying to squeeze into eight weeks what Kildare have done over the last four years.

“Yeah, and we knew coming here Kildare have brought their game to a different level. That is the reality . . .

“There was 13 points in it at the end, but I can’t fault my guys. They did everything they could, were in bed early, ate well, and went through the pain barrier in training.

“But the fitness of that Kildare team, which is a credit to the Kildare people and Kieran McGeeney, if you want to compete you have to get to that level. I don’t know if we can afford to get at that level. But we shouldn’t be Division Four team either. That’s where we have to move on from.”

Ian O’Riordan