The difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, Offaly brought the swagger of brigands to Parnell Park, sacked the capital and effectively stuck Mickey Whelan's head on the gates outside. Yesterday's Church & General NFL Division One A match at Tullamore attracted a crowd of 7,000 to witness a reversal of fortune.
This time, it was Dublin who exhibited the hunger and zip and Offaly who looked tired and short of ideas. Paul O'Kelly, one of the NFL holders' selectors, drew down the comparison himself.
"It probably equates to our game last year when it was important for us to do well. This year it was just another game for us. For them it was like championship. Just listening to them in the dressing-room, you'd think they were after winning something.
"Which is good for them, but our preparation just wasn't as good as Dublin's and therefore they won the match. We've been doing no physical work and I'd say we're 20 to 30 per cent off what we should be."
Dublin manager Tom Carr wasn't reading too much into the result, but allowed: "I think we can smile after that one." His players will do well to smile while they can as the boss has little festive cheer in prospect for his panel of Bob Cratchitts.
"It's now we can get into the hard, heavy training over the next month or two." Will you give them Christmas Day off, Ebenezer?
"Maybe Christmas morning."
All this hardship will be more palatable from the perspective of the top of the table which Dublin now share with Cork after a fine performance. There was promise on view amongst the new boys and reassuring steadiness and intelligence from the experienced hands.
In particular, captain Dessie Farrell gave his best display in a Dublin jersey since the halcyon days of the All-Ireland three years ago. Operating at full forward, he won virtually every ball directed at him and posed a constant threat when in possession. "A real daddy figure for the rest of the team," was Carr's approving assessment.
In the fourth minute, he scored the first of Dublin's two goals. Senan Connell - a lively debutant in the right corner - saw his shot come back off the post and Cathal Daly looked to have covered the danger. But his clearance went to Jim Gavin, who placed Farrell for an exquisite lob/under-hit attempt at a point which left goalkeeper Padraig Kelly stranded.
The early exchanges went Offaly's way. They cleaned up at centrefield and supplied Vinny Claffey with plenty of ammunition to blast out a fusillade for the attention of the All Stars selectors' meeting this week. Starting after only 14 seconds, Claffey kicked six points from play over the hour and disposed of a couple of markers.
When they were given the ball, Dublin's full forwards looked well-capable of inflicting damage, with Farrell ably abetted by newcomers Connell, who kicked two nice second-half points, and Brendan O'Brien, whose promising debut was cut short by concussion in first-half injury-time. He was to spend last night in hospital for observation.
Neither defence was entirely comfortable and errors abounded. Dublin had a substantial advantage at goalkeeper. David Byrne played with reassuring confidence. Having saved well from David Connolly in the 11th minute, he did slightly spoil the positive impression by giving away a point just on the re-start after taking a fine catch under pressure.
Offaly's usually impeccable Kelly, on the other hand, had an off-day. This reached its nadir in the 19th minute when Enda Sheehy put his centrefield partner Ciaran Whelan through for a hopeful shot which escaped Kelly's attention and bobbled off the left-hand post into the net.
This fortuitous score was the difference between the sides at halftime. By this stage Offaly were losing momentum and shuffling their three-card deck around the middle. Jim Grennan had joined his brother Sean at centrefield with Ciaran McManus moving to the 40.
After the break, Dublin capitalised on their lead and never looked like they were going to be caught despite frequent spells of pressure from the home side. Any ball picked up was fired up to Farrell - with Gavin, Ian Robertson and Paul Curran particularly accurate - and he inevitably won it and was at the heart of most of Dublin's scoring raids in the second period.
Offaly never made much inroads on the deficit and Dublin might have had a goal had Sheehy placed substitute Ray Cosgrove rather than fisting a point.
Dublin: D Byrne; S Ryan, P Christie, K Galvin; P Curran, I Robertson, T Lynch; C Whelan (1-0), E Sheehy (0-1); J Gavin (0-2, both frees), D Darcy (0-1, a free), B Stynes (0-1); S Connell (0-2), D Farrell (1-3), B O'Brien (0-1). Subs: R Cosgrove for O'Brien (33 mins, first half).
Offaly: P Kelly; C Daly, T Coffey, D Foley; J Kenny, B Malone, F Cullen; C McManus (0-2, one free), S Grennan; C Quinn, J Grennan, R Malone; V Claffey (0-6), F Weir (0-1), D Connolly (0-3, all frees). Subs: P Moran for R Malone (36 mins); J Stewart (0-1) for Quinn (47 mins).
Referee: B White (Wexford).
