Three-goal Dublin set down a marker

Dublin 3-13, Cork 0-16

Three-goal Dublin struck a convincing blow to Cork and maintained their unbeaten start to Allianz NFL Division 1 with a 3-13 to 0-16 win at Croke Park.

Mossie Quinn, Kevin McManamon and Barry Cahill all found the net as the Dubs got their Spring Series of matches off to a winning start in both codes.

Cork were 2-05 to 0-08 behind at half-time with Stephen Cluxton producing a fine save to deny Pearse O’Neill.

Cluxton kept a clean sheet and the industrious Bernard Brogan pulled the strings up front as Pat Gilroy's men gained their first win of the league campaign.

Despite a bright start from Dublin, during which Quinn pointed in the second minute, it was Cork who raced into an early lead under the floodlights. Four wides in the opening 10 minutes for the Dubs contrasted starkly with the clinical finishing of Cork, with Paddy Kelly (3 minutes), Aidan Walsh (7) and Donncha O'Connor (9) finding their range.

After Bernard Brogan pointed for Dublin, Cork showed the class which led them to a National League and All-Ireland double last year. O'Connor linked with Colm O'Neill who found Pearse O'Neill on his shoulder, and the big wing forward split the posts.

When Cork played quick ball into their forwards, Dublin found it hard to deal with them and as a result Gilroy's men began to drop back to suffocate Cork's effective attack. Denis Bastick and O'Connor (free) traded points before the Cork rearguard was ripped apart.

In the space of three minutes, Dublin blitzed Cork with two quality goals. Two Cork defenders were unable to gather a Dublin sideline ball in the 19th minute, leaving Bernard Brogan to flick it on to Quinn who blasted beyond Paddy O'Shea in the Cork goal.

For the second, Declan Lally broke from his half-back position and found McManamon who lost Paul Kissane in playing a neat one-two with Bernard Brogan before rifling past O'Shea to give Dublin a 2-04 to 0-05 lead.

Cork were rocked by the concession of those goals, but Denis O'Sullivan and Daniel Goulding (free) closed the gap to 2-05 to 0-08 by the end of the half.

Cork kickstarted their fightback with four second half points inside the opening ten minutes. O'Connor sent a free over towards Kelly who stepped inside Bastick to land the first point. Dublin's Lally replying with two fine scores of his own, leaving the game finely balanced at 2-07 to 0-12.

But a huge part of this Dublin performance was that they were able to pull out the scores when the needed to and with 49 minutes played it was Cahill's moment to stretch the Dubs' lead.

When Eoghan O'Gara found himself surrounded by five Cork players on the left side, he kicked along the ground to Bernard Brogan who found Cahill free in space and he was able to finish past O'Shea. The goal killed off Cork's challenge.

Goulding and Michael Fitzsimons were yellow carded but tempers were never in danger of bubbling over with Dublin in command. Bernard Brogan then shot three frees and followed it with a sweetly-struck point from play as Dublin went into cruise control over the next six minutes. Cork were scoreless for 15 minutes before points from Kelly, Goulding (0-02) and Pearse O'Neill kept some respectability to the score.

James McCarthy and Bryan Cullen pointed in the last 10 minutes as Dublin sprang Alan Brogan from the bench. The elder Brogan almost made an immediate impact but a last-gasp block prevented him from adding to Dublin's goal tally.

Gilroy will be pleased with his side's performance, but will not have long to dwell on this workmanlike performance with Kerry next to face Dublin at Croke Park

Scorers – Dublin: B Brogan 0-06 (0-04f), M Quinn 1-01, K McManamon, B Cahill 1-00 each, D Lally 0-02, D Bastick, D Connolly, J McCarthy, B Cullen 0-01 each

Cork: D Goulding 0-05 (0-01f, 0-01 ‘45’), P Kelly, P O’Neill 0-03 each, D O’Connor 0-02 (0-01f), A Walsh (0-01f), F Goold, D O’Sullivan 0-01 each

DUBLIN: Stephen Cluxton; Michael Fitzsimons, Seán Murray, Alan Hubbard; Paul Casey, James McCarthy, Declan Lally; Barry Cahill, Denis Bastick; Paul Flynn, Kevin McManamon, Diarmuid Connolly; Tomás Quinn, Eoghan O'Gara, Bernard Brogan.

Subs used: Dara Nelson for Lally (43 mins), Bryan Cullen for Connolly (45), Alan Brogan for O'Gara (53), Paddy Andrews for Quinn (61), Colm Murphy for Flynn (65).

CORK: Paddy O'Shea; Ray Carey, Jamie O'Sullivan, Michael Shields; Denis O'Sullivan, Paudie Kissane, Conor O'Driscoll; Alan O'Connor, Aidan Walsh; Pearse O'Neill, Paddy Kelly, Fintan Goold; Daniel Goulding, Colm O'Neill, Donncha O'Connor.

Subs used: Nicholas Murphy for A O'Connor (44 mins), Ciaran Sheehan for Goold (53), Eoin Cotter for J O'Sullivan (63 mins).

Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)