DESPITE being reduced to 14 men after just two minutes, Dublin recorded their first win of the Division Two campaign when they overpowered Clare in at Parnell Park yesterday.
Charlie Redmond was dismissed for delivering a right hook to the jaw of Clare halfback Gerry Kelly, but one wondered which team the sending off affected more.
Within 40 seconds of the start Dublin were in the lead thanks to a point from midfielder Ciaran Whelan. Redmond's dismissal appeared to cause hardly a ripple as Dublin proceeded to rip through the Clare defence and race into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after the 10 minutes.
In that opening quarter Whelan and Brian Stynes were in complete control at midfield and Joe McNally at full forward was causing problems for Frankie Griffin whose play appeared to be inhibited by a hamstring injury.
The fact that midfielders Whelan and Stynes accounted for more than half of Dublin's total reflects their influence on this game. Clare changed their midfield pairing on a number of occasions but to no avail as their opponents hoovered up the breaking ball.
Inevitably Dublin were unable to maintain their whirlwind pace but the efficiency of their use of possession can be measured by the fact that they did not record their first wide until the 26th minute.
Clare steadied the ship a little in the run up to half time and two pointed frees from Aidan O'Keefe narrowed the gap to three points before Stynes put Dublin 0-7 to 0-3 in front with the last score of the first half.
With the wind behind them Clare scored two points early in the second half, from substitute David Keane and another O'Keefe free. But Dublin, with Dermot Harrington and Paul Curran becoming more prominent at half back, were always able to stay a couple of points ahead.
Indeed Whelan could have wrapped it all up for Dublin six minutes into the half were it not for an excellent save from Clare's James Hanrahan.
Claret persisted in playing long predictable ball and it was only in the closing stages, when they began to run at a tiring Dublin, that hopes of a revival began to flicker.
It was fitting that Dublin's last score should come from Whelan, who popped the ball over after a fine solo run.
Damian O'Brien, who came on as a second half substitute, had to leave the field after only four minutes with a suspected broken jaw.
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