THE BLUE machine goes trundling on. Thunder, lightning, rain and a typically passionate Antrim team provided the potentially adverse elements at Parnell Park yesterday, but Dublin eventually garnered a four points win to secure a quarter-final place, maintain their 100 per cent record in Division Two and receive another standing ovation. Changed times indeed.
Even the absence of Eamonn Morrissey didn't derail Dublin's onslaught on the division, although his value to their cause was aptly demonstrated by the public address man who started his team announcement with the newslike bulletin that the former Kilkenny man was missing, injured.
Otherwise, it was business as usual for Dublin; another win (their sixth of the campaign) achieved and enough reasons for a confident approach to their Leinster championship assignment with Westmeath next Sunday.
It wasn't all one way traffic though. Antrim, entering the game on the back of a three match winning run, refused to capitulate and kept Dublin on guard right to the end. Indeed, it took one of the strangest goals Brian McMahon is ever likely to score, 10 minutes from the end for Dublin to discover any sort of breathing space in a well contested match.
Dublin, though, could have settled the match earlier. They were hampered by too many wides 17 as against eight from Antrim and also depended on Jamesie Brennan's free taking acumen and the ability of respective half forwards Conor McCann and Stephen Perkins to carry a good deal of the attacking load in using their ample possession.
McCann was very much a provider. In the 13th minute, his well flighted ball into the wind was first timed to the net superbly by Ger Ennis and, then, two minutes before the half time break he finished a great 30 yards run with a handpass to Damien Hernon who struck low and hard for Dublin's second goal.
In between, Jackie Carson had demonstrated his combination of skill and power. First, the Ant rim man magnificently sent a 65 yards sideline cut over for a point and then he smacked home their goal in the 23rd minute from a 21 yards free with such power that the only wonder was that the net remained intact.
Dublin led 2-6 to 1-7 at half time and stayed in front to the end, with no small thanks to the defensive work of Sean Duignan and Rory Boland. However, it took a somewhat bizarre goal in the 50th minute to effectively seal matters.
Perkins's shot hit impressive Ant rim full back Seamus Bailey on the heel, deflecting the sliothar on to the upright and across the goal for McMahon to the tap in from a foot, give or take an inch or two.
