Dominant winners refused to be sidetracked

THE ONLY reference point in analysing yesterday's Leinster Football final at Croke Park is to focus on the game when it was a contest and that pretty much centred on the first half.

Soon after the restart Dublin were rampant and for Wexford it was a case of just how bad the beating was going to be.

Losing shape and discipline with every passing moment guaranteed it was going to be severe. It would be a travesty if yesterday's game was to somehow define Wexford's season. They have contributed so much and are not as bad a team as that performance suggested. It will say a great deal about the character of the team and the management in how they react to this setback.

There were ominous signs early on at Croke Park for the underdogs as they struggled to contain the outstanding Alan Brogan and Jason Sherlock. Those two ran at their men, drawing frees or tagging on points when the opportunity arose and they were at the hub of everything positive about a Dublin forward unit that improved appreciably from the Westmeath match.

Wexford manager Jason Ryan may look back and wish he had elected to bolster his defence with greater numbers, as Westmeath did, as it was quite obvious they weren't going to survive in one-on-one duels. It might have been preferable to leave Mattie Forde with more space up front.

The Wexford half-back line simply couldn't get forward as they had done to telling effect in previous matches because Dublin completely dominated midfield through Shane Ryan and Ciarán Whelan, guaranteeing that flow of possession and bodies was going one way. Bryan Cullen also had a huge influence, shutting down the middle corridor.

One has to feel a bit of sympathy for Kevin Nolan whose early yellow card and subsequent black book meant Paul Caffrey had no choice but to take him off. It should have been the perfect game for him to stake a claim.

One other minor complaint would be the lack of work-rate and impact from Kevin Bonner, Mossy Quinn and Diarmuid Connolly when the match was a contest. In the days ahead Dublin will need every one of their forwards to contribute. In fairness, Connolly did demonstrate his obvious footballing ability when given time and space.

Collie Moran's positioning in the full-back line will definitely be a once-off on yesterday's evidence.

It was a display notable for Paul Griffin's athleticism and the tight marking of David Henry, the influence Conal Keaney had on the game, in terms of winning ball out the field and the quality of his foot passing. It was a trait shared by many of his team-mates. Dublin's ability to move the ball quickly and accurately by foot was a highlight of their display. Caffrey will reflect on a team that has improved with every outing this season, one that has matured and whose hunger remains undiminished. They concentrated on their football and refused to be sidetracked, a singularity of purpose that would not have been there last season.

There will always be something for teams to work on and the Dublin defence will need to be more disciplined and not give away easy frees as they did to an accomplished free-taker like Ciarán Lyng. But there was so much to admire about the way Dublin played. They have a strong squad, the quality of performance has built incrementally, they have won a fourth successive Leinster title and they are exactly where they want to be at this point in the championship.

In the Ulster final, Fermanagh spurned a wonderful opportunity but will be the happier team after a thrilling finish in Clones. They recovered from a poor first-half display in which they played to Armagh's strengths by trying to go down the centre of the pitch to changing their strategy successfully after the break and receiving their reward.

The introduction of Barry Owens at full forward had a decisive effect on the course of the game and in fairness to Fermanagh manger Malachy O'Rourke, all his substitutions galvanised his team. They served to maintain the pace and intensity with which Fermanagh tried to play the game and offered a marked contrast to Armagh's tactics.

Armagh simply could not live with their opponents' pace and athleticism in the second half and they were fortunate that in Steven McDonnell they had the game's outstanding forward.

Fermanagh dominated midfield but they'll have to reflect on what they did with the possession; on several occasions they were moving laterally rather than forward.

They addressed this after the interval and made much better use of a more direct style, utilising the foot pass and allowing Owens to create havoc and instil panic in the Armagh defence. They key for Fermanagh is to learn a few lessons, one of which is the requirement to take the easy scores from 20 or 30 yards.

It's about patience, composure and good habits. They must also look at free-taking which cost them four or five points. Fermanagh will realise they are good enough to win an Ulster title.

That winning mentality is probably the most difficult psychological hurdle to bridge for any side that hasn't won a title.

"There will always be something for teams to work on and the Dublin defence will need to be more disciplined