No romantic tales of triumph against the odds to report from Newbridge where Kildare's hurling championship odyssey came to an end.
Just six days after claiming an unlikely Joe McDonagh Cup title with a huge Croke Park display, the hope was that Brian Dowling's Kildare might be able to summon a similar performance in front of their home supporters.
But they were summarily dispatched by a Dublin side that had victory, and an All-Ireland quarter-final clash with Limerick next weekend, as good as wrapped up by half-time.
First-half goals from Ronan Hayes and Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing laid the platform for Dublin's 21-point win with Fergal Whitely adding a third goal late in the second half.
Sean Currie, who shot 0-08, finished as top scorer for the Dubs who were sent down the preliminary quarter-final route as a result of their third-placed finish in Leinster behind Galway and Kilkenny.
The jump in standard was simply too great for Kildare who were still cheered off the pitch by their fans at the end of a terrific season.
They will meet Dublin again in next season's Division 1B, while the Dubs' 2025 season still has at least one more game to run.
Their dubious reward for this big win is a quarter-final clash with Limerick next weekend.
Kildare hoped to carry the momentum from their breakthrough triumph last weekend through to this game, their seventh of the year in Newbridge.
They'd won five of their previous six outings at home, only slipping up to Kerry in Round 1 of the Joe McDonagh Cup, and were tied with Dublin after 10 minutes.
But when Hayes struck Dublin's first goal in the 10th minute, it created a blue wave that washed over the overwhelmed hosts.
By half-time Dublin had put 2-14 on the board to Kildare's 0-5 with the Lilywhites managing just two points from play in that period.
The loss of James Burke from the team to injury hardly helped Kildare.
But Dublin were still without Donal Burke while former All-Star Danny Sutcliffe was absent too through injury.
Burke was at least togged out and, in a positive development ahead of next weekend, got through a light warm up along the sideline in the closing minutes of the game.
John Hetherton was a late addition to the Dublin lineup and the big St Vincent's man made two great first-half fetches, laying on points for Currie and Ó Dúlaing.
Rising star Ó Dúlaing was the other late addition to the Dublin's team and filled his boots, striking 1-04 in the first-half alone.
The Commercials attacker was a constant threat, jinking this way and that and contorting his body to clip some terrific scores.
He grabbed his goal in the 17th minute after a powerful run in from the right wing that left Dublin 2-06 to 0-04 up and already in the clear.
In all, between the 14th minute and half-time, Dublin outscored a stunned Kildare by 1-10 to 0-01 to open up that giant 15-point half-time lead.
Hayes almost sniped a third goal for Dublin in the 43rd minute but blasted wide when he had Currie free on his left.
It wasn't a fatal error because while Dublin weren't as prolific in the second period, Kildare never looked like making it a contest again.
The one time Kildare did get in on goal, Cathal Dowling was thwarted by Dublin goalkeeper Sean Brennan who pulled off a great save in the 49th minute.
Both sides rolled in their full allocation of substitutes in the closing minutes as the game petered out towards its inevitable conclusion.
Whitely registered Dublin's third goal and finished with 1-01, beating the Kildare goalkeeper at his near post following a run in from the left wing for his 65th minute goal.
Dublin: Sean Brennan; John Bellew, Paddy Smyth, Conor McHugh; Paddy Doyle, Chris Crummey (0-02), Paddy Dunleavy; Brian Hayes (0-03), Fergal Whitely (1-01); Sean Currie (0-08, 0-05f), Ronan Hayes (1-01), Rian McBride (0-03); John Hetherton, Diarmaid O'Dulaing (1-04), Cian O'Sullivan (0-02).
Subs: Conor Burke (0-01) for Whitely (28-29, blood), Burke for McBride (45), Conal O Riain for O'Sullivan (50), Andrew Dunphy for Dunleavy (51), Sean Gallagher for Brian Hayes (59), Darragh Power for Ronan Hayes (65).
Kildare: Paddy McKenna; Dan O'Meara, Rian Boran, Richy Hogan; Paul Dolan, Liam O'Reilly, Cian Boran (0-01); Daire Guerin, Simon Leacy; Cathal McCabe, Gerry Keegan (0-02), David Qualter (0-08, 0-06f, 0-01 65); Darragh Melville, Cathal Dowling, Jack Sheridan (0-01).
Subs: Jack Travers (0-01) for McCabe (45), Harry Carroll for O'Reilly (50), Muiris Curtin for Sheridan (58), Killian Harrington for Dowling (60), Oisin Lynam for Qualter (67).
Referee: James Owens (Wexford).
Watch an All-Ireland Football Championship double-header, Monaghan v Down and Donegal v Mayo, on Sunday from 1.30pm. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game at 9.30pm.
