Hurling returned to its natural habitat – a bright if chilly Sunday afternoon, instead of midweek under lights – as Tipperary's hurlers at last got their National League campaign underway at Parnell Park last weekend, after two false starts the previous week. However, apart from the day and throw-in time, normality went out the window as Dublin recorded an eyebrow-raising but well deserved win over last year's beaten All-Ireland and League finalists.

Manager Liam Sheedy pointed, with justification, to the fact that his side was rusty compared to a Dublin team that had played Waterford in the League the previous week, as well as enjoying a few outings in the Walsh Cup. Whatever about rustiness, a relatively strong and experienced lineout was ill-equipped to deal with a team that produced a tremendous response to its 13-points defeat by Waterford seven days previously. The Tipp heads just didn't seem right, or properly tuned in, for the challenge posed by a Dublin team that was much faster in deed and thought, as they beat Tipp for the first time in a competitive match since a 1-10 to 1-9 League win at Croke Park in October 1989.

Behind at the interval by 1-12 to 1-7, Tipp turned around with the slight wind in their favour but the expected surge never materialised. It may be early in the year but their return of a paltry 5 points (and 8 wides) in that second 35-minute period is worrying. The overall performance will need to be in much better shape for this Sunday's crunch clash against Kilkenny if they aren't to be left in the competition's starting blocks.

Tipp got off to the best possible start. Only 54 seconds had elapsed when Eoin Kelly buried a penalty after Lar Corbett was hauled back on a promising run towards goal. That goal, we presumed, would set the tone for what was to follow, as Tipp appeared to be chomping at the bit to get their season motoring after the double postponement against Kilkenny.

But a Dublin side that was reportedly at the receiving end of a severe tongue-lashing from manager Anthony Daly after that hammering by Waterford hadn't read the script. They quickly recovered to draw level by the 6th minute and took the lead through Alan McCrabbe's free two minutes later. They extended their advantage with a mighty point from Maurice O'Brien and built on it with a further score from Simon Lambert, a response that delighted an animated Daly.

Following their defeat in Walsh Park the Dublin boss claimed his team had been "blown out of it by fellas that wanted the ball more". This time the shoe was on the other foot and that comment could have been made by Liam Sheedy whose team, following the post-match warm-down, didn't emerge from their dressing-room for the best part of an hour.

After their first-minute goal Tipp went a quarter of an hour without another score, until Lar Corbett laid on a point for Seamus Callanan. Yet there didn't appear to be too much to be overly concerned about at that stage. Seamus Hennessy was foraging well in a forward line that Eoin Kelly was leading impressively in his debut match as captain, while Lar Corbett was always a threat.