Teams must find their way around Stephen Cluxton

1. Stephen Cluxton is Dublin’s most important player

If any team wants to stop Dublin as the year progresses, then stop Cluxton at the restarts.

His ability to find his outfield colleagues from the tee is stunning.

The trajectory of his kicks and their accuracy means he is one of the most influential players in Jim Gavin’s team.

Cork made things easy for him at times, however even when they pushed up on the Dublin forwards, he still had plenty of options to aim for.

At one restart Brian Hurley was shoulder to shoulder with Cian O’ Sullivan and then seconds later, O’ Sullivan made a lovely run into space on the sideline and was picked out by his captain.

Then there was a kick to Ciaran Kilkenny who in turn fed Paddy Andrews for a fine score.

Three kicks and a white flag raised.

Stopping Cluxton takes razor shapr concentration and exemplary discipline and work-rate.

Kerry pushed up on him a few years ago and when he could not find his men, Dublin’s game imploded.

However, Dublin are a much more experienced, confident team and well drilled team now following their All-Ireland wins in 2011 and 2013 and it is impossible to imagine ever hearing any “startled earwigs” comments again.

If you let them have possession on every kick-out you better have your defensive tactics in superb shape and the blanket defence fine-tuned superbly.

Cork’s was not. The face that Dublin came out after half-time and blitzed them with six points in six minutes only confirmed that fact. Cork’s defence were not able for the Dublin sextet, especially with raiding half-backs to contend with too.

2 – Cork’s strength in depth is poor

When Brian Cuthbert needed a few players to try to keep his team in the game the first two men he turned to were Paul Kerrigan and Daniel Goulding.

Both men won All-Irelands in 2010 and have been superb servants to Cork. Goulding in particular had a terrific final five years ago shooting 0-9. And he took his goal well too yesterday.

John Hayes also came on and Alan O’Connor has been recalled. It is great to have such experience to come in off the bench but you would expect a county like Cork to have a few tyros bursting to break into the team and make their names. It is a huge concern that they production line hasn’t be churning out more talents like Brian Hurley over the past two seasons. Or perhaps, such young players are just not to be found in club football in the county.

Compare Brian Cuthbert’s situation, (or most other managers in the country), with Jim Gavin’s, and you see how Dublin will be very hard stopped this season. Gavin brought on youngsters like Emmet Ó Conghaile, Cormac Costello and young Bryan Fenton was at midfield and he already has the likes of three-in-a-row all-star Paul Flynn and double All Star Michael Darragh Macauley to recall for championship fare.

You can only play the cards you are dealt, but the reality is that Jim Gavin has a lot more cards, and a lot more aces in his pack than most managers.

3 – How much will this heavy defeat unnerve Cork?

Last year in the league final Dublin beat Cork heavily and they were well rattled after it.

Yesterday they hit them for 1-21 and it could have been a lot more. Dublin hit eight wides in the first half and never really looked like they were in top gear. They conceded two sloppy goals that gave Cork a bit of oxygen, but I don’t think they would have conceded them if there was championship intensity in their game.

Cork’s overdependence on Colm O’ Neill for scores is frightening. With Mark Collins playing such a withdrawn role and none of their half-forward line anything like prolific scorers, it allows the opposition defenders to just target O’ Neill and Hurley. If you stop those two, Cork are in serious trouble

Cork head into the Munster championship with more questions than answers and John O’ Rourke’s shoulder injury is another headache for Cuthbert and his management team.

While they play in the same division, the reality is that when the chips are down Dublin are a significantly superior side then Cork.

They learnt a lot from their implosion against Donegal last season and Cork won’t be the only side to learn that.

It might be considered simplistic analysis, but sometimes that can be the best kind. And after the final whistle yesterday, I asked myself – how many of the Cork players would make the Dublin starting fifteen?