REMEMBRANCE of times past for Dublin. Kevin Heffernan travelling to Navan on the bus with the team, Joe McNally trundling away at full forward, Eamonn Heery back in harness and, most cheeringly, Westmeath reduced once more to the status of minnows.

If Dublin wanted to test the strength of their seams this wasn't the sort of high intensity occasion they needed. Yet there were lessons to be learned, the sound of alarm bells in some quarters and the prospect of progress in others.

Westmeath came out bursting with enthusiasm, scored three points in the first 10 minutes and then found themselves bouncing off the watt of sheer physicality that is the Dublin half back line and not liking it very much.

Tom Ormsby, who in those early moments looked likely to put his own immense frame in the path of oncoming traffic, was subdued by Paul Bealin and the stage was set for Brian Stynes to dominate the skies.

That was all Dublin needed. At full forward McNally did more than enough to keep his doubters quiet until another day. As well as his party piece, the catch and feed, he scored three points from play and suggested that rumours about his speed over 10 metres might not be exaggerated. How he performs on afternoons when the supply is less plentiful is another matter.

Of the other changes which marked Mickey Whelan's first championship game in charge results were mixed. Heery had a fine game even if late on he showed a worrying willingness to mix it with his marker even when the game was dead.

Mick Deegan, for all his assets as a ball player, still looks too loose for corner back play. Niall Guiden was quiet and didn't last to the final whistle. Damien O'Brien looked tentative but grew into the game. David Martin at full back had his troubles but survived. The report card might note a satisfactory performance with some work needed.

For Westmeath's young team the rich promise of their bustling start quickly elaborated. For brief periods of the game they did enough to suggest that they have the players to compete at a higher level; they just don't have the intensity or experience yet.

Critically for them, the Dublin defence strangled the life out of their half forward line and they hadn't the flexibility to switch to the early ball to their inside line.

They scored three times early on and missed an easy free. During that short burst they were allowed to spread the ball around without too much hindrance and managed to look purposeful and attractive. However, the realisation that they were trailing to Westmeath in the championship hit Dublin like a dose of smelling salts soon afterwards and the old passion for championship fare was evident again.

Encouragingly for Whelan, Dublin's big names simply took off where they finished last season. Paul Curran won the ball from a kick out in the 14th minute, soloed with startling acceleration and popped over a point which gave Dublin the lead for the first time in the game. Dessie Farrell, who seemed to have lost form during the winter, transpires now to have been hibernating. He was superb yesterday, looking like the best cerebral centre forward since Greg Blaney was in his pomp.

Curran's point in the 14th minute sparked a Dublin run which yielded 1-6 without reply, the goal instantly becoming a contender for score of the season. Ormsby misplaced a pass and the resultant move saw Keith Barr cruising through the Westmeath defence and lobbing a lovely shot from 25 yards into the back of the net. Think of the goal he scored against Kildare a few years ago and you have the gist.

Soon afterwards with half time looming Westmeath had a good claim for penalty when Martin appeared to embrace Larry Giles, a little too passionately. A goal; then might have made the second half a little more tantalising. Instead Ormsby just clipped a point.

After the break Dublin came down through the gears. Jason Sherlock and Robbie Boyle were given a run late on, introductions which may presage full tenure before the month is out. Sherlock, looked sharp and hungry and one pass he made to McNally was sublime. Too often, however, his plea for the ball into the prairies of space behind him went ignored. As the summer goes on and challenges become stiffer and supply more precious the ball to space may be a more useful tool than the lob to the target man.

Late on a cloud crossed the Dublin sky when Barr was sent off for a robust but scarcely illegal challenge on Eddie Casey. For Barr, whose discipline has been so improved in the past two seasons, the sanction was an immense personal disappointment. For Dublin it was no more than a blip on the end of a pleasing performance chart. Still contenders.