Nothing comes easy in this ,competition and nobody knows this better than Na Fianna. Yesterday, on a heavy pitch at St Conleth's Park in Newbridge, the Dublin outfit showed that hard work and discipline are attributes as important as fancy footwork while beating Offaly nominees Rhode and negotiating a route into the provincial final for a second successive year.

But to win by seven points? Halfway through the second half, at a time when some quite bizarre refereeing decisions were going against them, and with Rhode still on level terms and refusing to be dazzled by Na Fianna's array of intercounty stars, the suspicion was that the holders would have gladly taken any margin of victory. Even Paul "Pillar" Caffrey, the winning manager, conceded afterwards that the final score was a mite flattering to them.

This was a tough, no-nonsense game of football and Na Fianna were made to work extremely hard to maintain their unbeaten two-year run in the province. In the end, Na Fianna's success owed a considerable amount to cool heads on the pitch (which didn't take any lead from the increasingly frustrated spectators in the stands who were reduced to applauding referee Seamus McCormack when he awarded their side a free) and fitness levels that saw them kick five unanswered points in the last six minutes of the match.

From the start, Rhode gave as good as they got. Pat Daly, at times a roaming full forward and at others playing the more traditional role, was a thorn in Na Fianna's side and was unquestionably the dominant figure in the first half. He kicked four points in that opening period and received more than adequate back-up from younger players, among them Alan McNamee, who had won a county minor title with the club on Saturday.

Tellingly, however, Rhode kicked five wides - to Na Fianna's one - in that opening half and, by the match's end, the Offaly team's tally had increased to nine, to just two from the winners. Still, the faster and more direct football of Rhode enabled them to carry a slim lead, 0-8 to 0-7, at the halftime break and, although Jason Sherlock levelled matters within seconds of the restart, the teams were still locked together 13 minutes into the second half.

Sherlock may have had Colm Masterson as a close companion for much of the hour, but when he did win ball, he used it well. In the 43rd minute, he landed his third point of the game to move Na Fianna into a lead which they were never to relinquish. And when Des Mackin, who had a really good game, and Aaron Shearer followed with further points minutes later, a three-point gap was opened for the first time in the match.

Not that Rhode threw in the towel. However, they found it increasingly difficult to make use of their chances and Daly's pointed free in the 47th minute - to reduce the deficit to two - was to be their only score of the entire second half. During this spell, Na Fianna's defence was considerably tighter than it had been in the first half.

The closeness of the tie, however, ensured plenty of tension while some rather curious refereeing decisions (in the main against Na Fianna) added to the friction, There was also an incident early on the second half when Na Fianna's manager Caifrey, was issued with a yellow card when going on to the pitch to assist Karl Donnelly, who had suffered a head injury. The is obviously an area of the law which the GAA needs to clear up and Caffrey, for one was unrepentant. "If I see someone goin down with a head injury, I'm going as regardless," he said.

Na Fianna's experience proved helpful as the game moved into its decisive phase and points from Shearer, in the 54l minute, and another from Mackin a minute later edged them closer to safety while goalkeeper Stephen Gray also pulled off a fit close-range save from Roy Malone I Rhode searched in vain for a lifeline.

By the time Rhode's Paschal Kellegh (was dismissed in the 57th minute for an on-the-ball incident on Nigel Clancy which w brought to the referee's attention by his umpires, Na Fianna were already within touching distance of victory. The sending off didn't impact on the result, but it did affect the scoreline. Rhode heads dropped and, the dying minutes, Na Fianna added further points from Karl Donnelly and two from Ian Foley to put a healthier gloss on the fir score than was really the case.