This was not a difficult game to assess. Dublin's spirit and ambition took them so far, and then they started doing silly things - again. Clare gladly accepted the chances, jumped into an 19-point lead, and then kept the result beyond any doubt.
So Kevin Fennelly is still searching for a winning formula, or at least a formula that will allow Dublin to stay competitive with the higher counties for more than half an hour. Yesterday in Parnell Park, Clare looked as rusty as any team should after a month's hibernation and yet they found Dublin's resistance weak and predictable. After working so hard to stay a couple of points in front for the opening half hour - especially Tomas McGrane - the Dublin defence collapsed and allowed PJ O'Connell to steal a soft goal. Moments later, they blew two chances to clear a loose ball and Barry Murphy swept in a second goal. And just before the break, half a dozen defenders watched helplessly as Tony Carmody flicked in a third.
That left Clare 3-6 to 0-5 in front at the break, and with Jamesie O'Connor only warming up, the lead was soon extended. By the time Murphy added his second goal on 41 minutes, one could see Dublin heads drop. So, did Fennelly take any encouragement?
"No. We might be making a bit of progress but I would prefer if we were making it faster. It is frustrating overall, and it was back to the silly things that Dublin have been doing for the last number of years. Giving away silly goals.
"Most of the scores that Clare had in the first half came from our mistakes. We could have been five or six points up but after conceding three goals in a flash like that, you can't expect to make progress."
When Clare took a breather, substitute David Donnelly managed to claw back the first goal. With McGrane carried off injured in the first half (a suspected collar-bone break), the points instead trickled from Stephen McDonald and David Sweeney. A quarter hour from the end, Sweeney sent a close-range free into the Clare net but by then the story was over. And for Dublin, it was the same old story.
Clare: G O'Connell; C Forde, B Lohan, F Lohan; L Doyle, O Baker (0-1), C Harrison; T Griffin (0-1), C Lynch; A Markham (0-2), PJ O'Connell (1-0), T Carmody (1-4); J O'Con- nor (0-7, two frees), C Clancy, B Murphy (2- 2). Subs: K Ralph (0-2) for O'Connell (34 mins), R O'Looney for F Lohan (45 mins), J Clohessy for Griffin (47 mins), S Ryan for Murphy (52 mins), D Scanlon (0-1) for Clancy (57 mins).
Dublin: D Maguire; D Wyse, S Power, J Cullen; C Meehan, A de Paor, D Spain; T Moore, D Sweeney (1-2, one free, one 65); S Mc- Donald (0-2), L Ryan (0-1), D Henry; G Ennis, K Flynn (0-1), T McGrane (0-5, four frees). Subs: E Carroll (0-2) for McGrane (32 mins), S Perkins for Wyse (half-time), D Russell for Moore (44 mins), D Donnelly (1-0) for Ennis (46 mins), D de Paor (63 mins).
Referee: G Devlin (Armagh).
