A late flourish by the Evening Herald Blue Stars gave this football match at Kilmacud Crokes' Pairc de Burca in Glenalbyn a comparatively well-contested look. If the eight points between the teams in the hurling fixture maligned what was for the most part a fairly competitive match, the same margin in the football exceedingly flattered the Blue Stars.
Despite the assistance of an early goal from Ian Foley which overturned Dublin's early lead and a selection which boasted half the county's championship team plus Armagh's All Star Kieran McGeeney, the Blue Stars were ineffective as a unit and had no answer to the impressive level of fitness and enthusiasm demonstrated by Dublin.
McGeeney had travelled up from Kerry yesterday morning and so could be forgiven his lacklustre display, but none of his equally high-profile team-mates could claim to have acquitted themselves much better.
On paper, the Blue Stars were a considerably superior force but lacked the cohesion of their less celebrated opponents. Dublin manager Tom Carr will have been pleased with the sharpness and willingness of his team but will be equally aware of the unreliable encouragement offered by good performances in early January.
Changes were made to both selections. For Dublin, Sean Doherty, son of Dublin's 1974 All-Ireland winning captain, came in for Shane Ryan, who had played in the hurling match, and Enda Crennan was called up to allow Paul Croft drop back to wing back in place of Ian Clarke.
The Blue Stars brought in Ciaran Whelan and Ian Foley to replace Colm Moran and Brendan O'Brien and also had to top up their substitutes' bench with a couple of the Dublin panel, Mervyn Forde and Thomas Mulligan.
The first quarter was the best period enjoyed by the Blue Stars. Their attack looked lively with Na Fianna's Des Farrell and Mick Galvin delivering on the club form which sees them contest next month's All-Ireland semi-finals.
A fifth-minute goal provided an early lift after Galvin's shot came off the post for Foley to finish to the net. By the 14th minute, Dublin trailed 0-4 to 1-2 but managed a critical score which changed the course of the match.
Mick Casey's ball into space on the left bounced too high for Jason Sherlock but Stephen Cowap took possession and had a rather optimistic crack at goal. Blue Stars' goalkeeper Stephen Gray misjudged it, however, and the attempt ended up in the net.
Dublin were never behind again. Over the remainder of the first half, they out-scored their opponents 1-7 to 0-2. The Blue Stars went 17 minutes without registering a score and the match evaporated as a contest.
Amongst the highlights of the winners' scores were well-taken points from Crennan, Cowap and Enda Sheehy, some telling runs by Paul Curran and good interplay in the forwards, with Jim Gavin and Sherlock prominent.
The latter two set up Dublin's second goal in the 23rd minute. It had its origins in a Blue Stars counter which broke down when Senan Connell lost possession. Gavin carried the ball in on goal before expertly releasing Sherlock who provided a delightful finish.
The Blue Stars had a chance at goal themselves two minutes from the break. Declan Darcy - whose radar was seriously askew in the first half - chanced a shot which looked as if it had gone wide.
Farrell picked it up and wriggled around in front of a posse of defenders before finding a gap through which he rifled a shot off the bar.
Dublin led 2-11 to 1-4 at halftime and although the Blue Stars chipped away at the deficit, they were formally buried in the 39th minute when Casey galloped onto the end of a movement begun by Curran at the back and carried on by Cowap. Gray can hardly have seen the thundering shot.
A couple of minutes later Galvin was placed by Farrell, but his shot was bravely blocked by Davy Moore before Jason Ward hit the post from the rebound. Points were traded until the final 10 minutes by which stage Dublin led by 13.
A late flurry from the Blue Stars saw Jonathan McGee heave a longdistance shot to the net and Darcy score a consolation goal on the stroke of time. Impressive Dublin goalkeeper Colm O'Boyle brought off a number of fine saves to limit the face-saving exercise.
Dublin: C O'Boyle; D Moore, B O'Toole, S Doherty; P Curran (0-2), D Conlon, P Croft (0-1); E Horgan (0-2), E Sheehy (0-1); S Cowap (1-2), M Casey (1-0), E Crennan (0-1); J Gavin (0-4, two frees), D Stynes (0-1, a free), J Sherlock (1-1). Subs: D Herlihy (0-1) for Stynes (40 mins); W McCarthy (0-2, one free) for Crennan (42 mins); J Doyle for Sherlock (46 mins); S Ryan for Curran (49 mins); B Stynes for Sheehy (50 mins).
Blue Stars: S Gray; M Cahill, P Christie, T Lynch; P Andrews (0-1), J McGee (1-1), S Connell (0-1); J Ward (0-1), K McGeeney; M Galvin (0-1), D Darcy (1-3, one free), C Whelan (0-1); R Redmond, D Farrell (0-1, a free), I Foley (1-0). Subs: K Keane for Foley (36 mins); M Forde for Ward (49 mins); T Mulligan for Redmond (56 mins).
Referee: J Turner (Thomas Davis).
