Where now for Dublin football?

The symbolism was rather apt, even if the actual structure was unquestionably sound. "Hill 16 is falling down, falling down. . . " chorused the gang of Lilywhite kids grouped on the bridge over the canal on Jones's Road. Half an hour previously, Kildare had sounded the death knell for Dublin's football team in the Bank of Ireland Leinster senior football championship and these youngsters were indulging in the sort of gloating that their parents had never known.

There was a time when Dublin supporters wouldn't have taken too kindly to such chidings, even from children. But the chants were met with resigned shrugs and wry grins, a worrying sign that Dublin fans have started to accept their place in the greater scheme of things.

Where does Dublin football go from here? Yesterday's one point defeat - 0-12 to 1-8 - hid a myriad of cracks in the team from the capital. Some of those with ageing limbs will simply walk away, others will ask for time for reflection. However, Tommy Carr, in addressing the victorious team in the Kildare dressing room afterwards, pulled no punches. "The best team on that Croke Park pitch today were in white jerseys," he said. There were no objections.

Kildare finally came of age yesterday, their narrow winning margin being at odds with the entirely effective manner in which they dealt with Dublin's unbalanced challenge. "It's been a long time coming," admitted Mick O'Dywer, who was more concerned with his men keeping their feet on the ground. "We're only a third of a way through the provincial championship, we have got to keep our heads screwed on."

There were no mistakes second time round. Kildare won the replay with a performance that mixed spirit with skill in a match hampered by a stiff wind that blew down the field into the Railway end and produced too many frees, 49 in all, of which 31 were awarded to Kildare. Two players - Dublin's Dessie Farrell and Kildare's Anthony Rainbow - were sent off, in separate incidents, for second bookable offences and referee Michael Curley put so many names in his little black book that the suspicion existed that he'd received his instructions from Sepp Blatter.

Amazingly, the only Dublin forward to score from play was Declan Darcy, and that came courtesy of his last-minute goal which, with the referee's final whistle following almost immediately, was designed to put a respectable gloss on the score rather than incite "here we go again" worries within the Kildare ranks.

Kildare supporters, marginally the more dominant in the 58,427 crowd, greeted the win with unreserved glee. What would the reaction be if they actually won anything? However, with Niall Buckley again turning in a great performance, Eddie McCormack shining in attack, and Glen Ryan and Brian Lacey repelling all-comers in defence, the signs are more encouraging than they've been for quite some time. Next up is the semi-final encounter with Laois on July 19th. By contrast, Dublin face a summer wondering what the autumn holds.

Meanwhile, Donegal showed their own resilience when overcoming the early dismissal of Martin Coll to beat Cavan by 0-15 to 0-13 in the Ulster senior football championship semi-final at Clones yesterday.

And the Clare bodhrans were given a new lease of life in Thurles where Ger Loughnane's touchline ban was lifted so that he could mastermind his team's 0-21 to 013 win over Cork in the Guinness Munster senior hurling championship semi-final.

Loughnane and his selectors were up to old tricks, springing selection surprises prior to the throw-in. Neither Alan Markham nor Brian Quinn were in the team originally selected, but both took the field unannounced for yesterday's assignment in which Clare over-ran the National League winners. "We have to protect young players," explained Loughnane. "The team was picked on Tuesday night, but we told the players to ignore what appeared in the papers and that we'd tell them the actual team on the Sunday morning."

Loughnane also claimed that the team were "never better prepared" for a match. "The hunger was never greater than against this emerging Cork team," he said, "and there's a freshness there, and freshness brings out hunger."