The Ulster Football Championship did what it always does best today throwing up a surprise rather than a shock result with one of the sides many of us predicted would enjoy a run in this year's competition falling at the first hurdle.
Fermanagh simply mugged Monaghan today at Brewster Park and were good value for their four-point win.
Last year Monaghan surprised everyone with their swashbuckling brand of football reaching the Ulster final and almost taking Kerry out in last year's All-Ireland quarter final.
They carried that great form into the league but quietly Fermanagh boss Malachy O'Rourke was doing his homework and by employing a sweeper in front of the full back line he made sure that Monaghan's best forward Tommy Freeman hardly got a sniff of the action.
His midfield too of Marty McGrath and Mark Murphy won the crucial battle at centre field and while Fermanagh worked their socks off they eventually totally frustrated the Farneymen reducing them to a shadow of the team which lit up last year's Ulster Championship and which started its league campaign off in some style.
Mark Little and Ryan Keenan ran themselves into the ground at half forward while McBarron gave Fermanagh a good target on the edge of the square.
If there was one area I would be critical of the Fermanagh performance it was of their free taking.
They had no consistency in this crucial area all day and points win prizes. They squandered a lot of scoring chances which on another day will be the difference between winning and losing.
The winners of next week's game between Derry and Donegal will not look forward to playing the Erne men.
They are a bloody difficult shower to break down and if they can become a little more focussed in front of the posts they could take a bit of beating.
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