Early goals set Dublin on the road

Leinster Hurling First Round: Considering that last summer this fixture was something of a squeaker for Dublin, Saturday's 16-point margin can be taken as an index of progress.

Dublin will ask that their current injury troubles be factored in, along with the inexperience they exhibit in some parts of the pitch. All in all it was small wonder that Dublin left Parnell Park smiling.

Westmeath, who arrived with a clutch full of decent hurlers on the bus, didn't help themselves. Dublin are a young team for whom confidence is oxygen. Perhaps they haven't improved by 13 points since last summer, but they were helped by the fact that Westmeath handed them three goals in the opening 10 minutes of play.

It took just 12 seconds for Westmeath goalkeeper Brian Conaty to hear the first whickering of a sliotar flying past. The goal must have provided quiet satisfaction to the Dublin bench, which frets inordinately about its full forward line.

Conal Keaney pulled hard at the throw-in, a couple of quick flicks involving two of the full forward line followed and then, before we'd had a chance to blink, corner forward Kevin Flynn was knifing the ball home.

Westmeath looked to settle themselves quickly with a point from Jonathan Forbes, but Dublin were giddy with energy at this point.

Four minutes gone and Keaney hit a wonderful sideline cut from the right wing. The ball looked as if it had dropped perfectly into the Westmeath net, but afterwards it emerged that Ger Ennis had tampered with the perfection of the moment by getting a slight touch on it. Nobody was arguing.

Two more Westmeath points went over as the visitors tried to stick to their principles.

Then, on 10 minutes, Damien Russell, seemingly abducted from civilian life and drafted into the county team just this week, showed why he was there by using his size and his surprising pace to burst through the Westmeath defence and score a kicked goal.

Was this how it was going to be all evening? Take the goals and let the points look after themselves? Dublin still looked sleepy.

Yet Westmeath drilled away until their reward began to trickle upwards. Andrew Mitchell, selected at full forward but given a rover ticket, picked a huge amount of ball in the middle third and drove it to what was now a two-man full forward line.

Paddy Dowdall at midfield had a fine, busy time, and Frank Shaw looked livelier than a scalded cat. Westmeath pulled back the next four points without reply, and after 20 minutes the score had what Marty Morris would later describe as a "bizarre look" to it. Dublin, with just those three goals to their credit, were only two points clear. Late evening and heading towards the Twilight Zone.

Westmeath needed a breather by now and Keaney's increasing involvement in the game meant that they were pushed aside for a while. Keaney, who has been dabbling dangerously in football for the past while, isn't back to peak hurling sharpness, but his game grew as the match went on.

By the time the sky cracked and a deluge began in the 28th minute, Dublin had chalked four points and were moving well.

The rain, some 20 minutes of it coming in sheets, changed the nature of the match. A firm sod nicely tended for hurling purposes was suddenly carrying a sheen of water. Footing was more difficult, ground hurling trickier. Other things changed.

Dublin's surprising selection of Keith Elliot at midfield had been altered in a switch with corner back Carl Meehan. Meehan enjoyed the freedom in the middle, and just before half-time a run of his split the Westmeath defence open before Liam Ryan took the handpass to score. Dublin went to the break five points ahead.

Westmeath needed a good start to the second half, but two quick scores snapped them: Liam Ryan, almost straight from the throw-in, and then a solo and shot without taking the ball to hand by Keaney.

After that Dublin were flexing their muscles, wondering about Laois and how much sharper they would have to be by then. Keaney underlined his indispensability with an extraordinary crossfield ball which found Flynn, who skinned his marker twice before taking a point.

Ryan drew a good save from Conaty. Flynn caught and handpassed to Ennis for another goal on 55 minutes. Mossy McGrane made a welcome appearance to slot two 65s home.

Dublin aren't promising greatness this year but they are at least promising. Manager Marty Morris has players recovering, and the rediscovery of Damien Russell's talent could be a major factor if he retains form.

"We needed time to develop the fluency," Morris said afterwards, "we're a young team and I'm always wary if we don't start well. The goals settled us. We have played Laois twice this year and it's one-all. The next day will be the third, and I know that they beat us well in the league and gave us a wake-up call, but we badly want to play Kilkenny again."

DUBLIN: B McLoughlin; P Brennan, S Perkins, C Meehan; S Hiney, D Spain, K Ryan; C Keaney (0-3, 1 65), K Elliott; S McDonnell, D Russell (1-1), S Martin; G Ennis (2-2), L Ryan (0-4), K Flynn (1-3). Subs: M Carton (0-1) for Martin (45 mins), K Horgan (0-1) for McDonnell (56 mins), T McGrane (0-2, 2 65s) for Ennis (61 mins), L O'Donoghue for Keaney (63 mins), S Daly for Brennan (65 mins).

WESTMEATH: B Conaty; D Curley, B Murtagh, B Williams; V Bateman, E Dalton, N Gavin; P Dowdall (0-3), C Fanning; B Kennedy, J Shaw (0-1), J Forbes (0-1); D Carty, A Mitchell (0-6, 4f), F Shaw (0-1). Subs: E Loughran for N Gavin (27 mins), N Williams (0-1) for Kennedy (59 mins), G Geoghegan for Forbes (63 mins), P Williams for F Shaw (65 mins).

Referee: S Roche (Wexford).