Jack O'Connor's columnAll over the pitch Dublin looked stronger, quicker and much more confident

Dublin are very much alive and kicking this week. Kicking is the appropriate word too. On Sunday they kicked a huge amount of ball into their full-forward line. Previously, they tended to solo the ball too much out the field.

In adversity they may also have solved the free-kicking problem. Therein lies the tale of the two games. In the drawn encounter, Cian Ward shot the lights out. On Sunday, a blond bombshell from Kilmacud was the chief gunslinger.

I saw Mark Vaughan in the flesh in a league game in Killarney last year. He was impressive that day too. His free-kicking technique is such that he can kick over 45s with the nonchalance of a fella tapping a short one in training.

In fact, his minor debut for Dublin was as a sub four years ago and was also against Meath. He came on and kicked two 45s. He has good size and power and a bit of a mad streak, which makes him a threat from play as well.

Contrasting the fortunes of Vaughan and Ward sums up the fickle ways of sport. Two weeks ago Cian Ward sprang from nowhere and in the days afterwards he was hailed as the new Maurice Fitz.

Mark Vaughan wasn't even picked to start last Sunday. He has had a couple of years kicking around the fringes. Yet, he emerged as the hero. Coming into a game with a low profile has huge benefits.

Vaughan doesn't seem the type who would enjoy a low profile. I noticed two years ago when Kilmacud were going well that he did a couple of major interviews in newspapers, which surprised me for a young player.

Then again, it's maybe not so surprising.

I remember he wore a sky-blue Mohawk streak in his bleached hair as a minor. For his own sake and for his team's benefit the player should take a leaf from Greta Garbo's book and tell the world now that he wants to be left alone.

I was encouraged by the fact that, for whatever reason, he wasn't available to accept the "man of the match" award from RTÉ or to do the little TV interview that goes with it on Sunday.

Expectation and hype do cruel things to young players, especially in a city like Dublin.

Cian Ward was under huge pressure on Sunday and perhaps Colm Coyle will reflect that it was a mistake to start him. Ward was being asked to work the oracle again. By the time the game got serious he had exited stage left.

Whether by accident or design Dublin started with a better team than on the first day. Sometimes managers don't make the hard decisions until the hangman's rope is spun and they have little time left to pray.

Even if Darren Magee is fit next time Shane Ryan has to start at midfield for Dublin. You should always play your best players in their best positions and in this case three into two won't go.

Ryan is one of Dublin's best players and on Sunday he was at home in the engine room. He is a horse of a man who cleans up breaks and causes problems with his mobility.

He doesn't have the creativity for life on the 40. At midfield he is a perfect foil for Ciarán Whelan, and switching him from there was one of the reasons Dublin didn't reach last year's All-Ireland final.

Magee and Whelan are similar players and together don't give Dublin the right balance. On Sunday, Dublin dominated the middle third and only some squandering up front prevented them from winning pulling up.

As I've said before, this might be the script Dublin needed. They have been tested to the limit and have learned a bit about themselves.

Last year they sleepwalked into August and got mugged. They'll be sharper now.

Meath can be content. They made huge progress. If they approach the qualifiers positively they will frighten the best of them. They have natural scoring forwards and in Stephen Bray they have a point-scoring machine.

Lessons?

On Sunday some of Meath's kicking, especially late on, was a bit on the ignorant side.

Ideally, the long ball should be bypassing the half-forward line and hitting the inside line. On Sunday, it mainly landed on top of Bryan Cullen in his centre-back spot, and with Kevin Reilly playing so deep (a mistake), Cullen could act as a sweeper. In last year's semi-final Mayo dragged Cullen out of the centre-back spot and made him mark.

Dublin now have a strong hand. They have power and athleticism everywhere and play at a very high tempo. That creates free-taking chances. If Vaughan can keep kicking them they will take some beating.

Late on last Sunday they held the ball and played it sensibly. The experience of tight games showed at last.

They have shipped plenty of criticism. Used properly that can help foster a siege mentality. Harsh words might not make for as enjoyable a bonding exercise as rock climbing or abseiling, but the togetherness and tightness of a belittled team can be far more lasting.

Dave Billings hinted at this on Sunday with a none-too-subtle swipe at former Dublin players being paid to write columns. Dublin can use the criticism to close ranks and create an "us against the world" mentality.

The northern teams thrived on this for years. The Cork hurlers are another case in point right now.

A lion is dangerous when it is wounded. A team with a cause can be just as scary.

Agus rud eile

Tyrone! They haven't gone away, you know! Donegal, their opponents last Sunday, bought into all the doom and gloom that was coming out of Tyrone in the past few weeks.

Tyrone flew low under the radar before last Sunday's game. They scraped over Fermanagh. They were suffering a biblical plague of injuries. They heaped all the attention on to Donegal and then proceeded to walk all over them.

A perfect coup.

The season, as Donegal found out, is about sustaining form and being able to peak at the right time.

Donegal were sluggish and lethargic. Tyrone were fresh, energetic and enjoying themselves again. League form is forgotten already. Galway and Tyrone had average leagues but have now comprehensively beaten the two finalists.

Sustaining a team's form over a long season is a big ask. Early in the season you try to build momentum, but if you go to the well too often it will run dry. (Whatever well Brian Dooher is drinking out of he should bottle the contents. What an engine! Defending one second, kicking points the next. An ideal captain with exemplary habits and infectious enthusiasm. Incredible.)

Donegal looked jaded as it all unravelled. Strangely, they stopped kicking the long ball into the full-forward line after some early success. The long ball is the best way to bypass Tyrone's relentless tackling.

Tyrone are visibly energised by tackling and turnovers. To kill that you have to support at pace coming out of defence, put good ball winners in the full-forward line and make the ball stick in there.

If you are ponderous, Tyrone will devour you.

On Sunday, Tyrone rediscovered their appetite. For the high-octane game they play, hunger and energy are the key fuels. Donegal looked like a team that could do with rest.

They have had a good year so far, but this tired performance suggested their season won't last till September.

Coming to the end of June you would pick five (maybe a maximum of six) contenders in the race for Sam. Sunday put a question mark over Armagh's performance against Donegal.

The top five in no particular order would be Kerry, Cork, Dublin, Galway and Tyrone, with Armagh snaking into a top six.

It's only June though. The second half of July and a period of eight weeks or so from there on is the time for real business.