Croke Park is proving to be Niall O Ceallachain’s field of dreams.
Just six days after managing Na Fianna to a historic All-Ireland club SHC title success, there was a similar outcome for his county team.
There was no cup at the end of this evening’s win, and Dublin will run into trickier assignments further down the line, but this was a positive start for the new regime.
Cian O’Sullivan top scored with 13 points for Dublin, the majority of those coming from frees, while debutant Conal O Riain also stood out in attack with 1-3.
There was an ominous feeling from Antrim’s perspective from the moment O Riain smashed a terrific ninth minute goal, leaving five points between the teams.
Dublin streaked away for a 14-point win in the end with O Ceallachain perhaps most pleased about his defence conceding just six points from play.
David Lucey, Iain O hEithir and Paddy Dunleavy were all newcomers at the back while new captain Chris Crummey slotted in at number six and typically led the line.
Conor Burke has been named Dublin vice-captain for 2025 and impressed too, getting on the scoresheet in a facile win.
Dublin will head to Mullingar to face Westmeath in Round 2 on February 9, the same day that Antrim will make the trip to Tullamore.
New Antrim manager Davy Fitzgerald will demand an improvement because they were summarily dismissed.
The Saffrons were missing ACL victim Conal Cunning and lacked his attacking threat though Dublin were without a string of players too.
There was no Eoghan O’Donnell, who has joined the footballers this season, while old hands Danny Sutcliffe, Ronan Hayes, last year’s captain Paddy Smyth and the entire Na Fianna contingent were missing too.
The newcomers stepped up well and Dublin hit the interval with a deserved 1-14 to 0-9 lead.
James McNaughton did the bulk of the scoring for Antrim, mostly from frees.
Paddy Burke and Niall McKenna had positive moments for Antrim too but they were under pressure throughout and never looked like grabbing a result.
Powerful full-forward John Hetherton, back in the Dublin team, struck two points and O’Sullivan continued to split the posts throughout the second-half.
Crummey, Dara Purcell and O Riain again late on all struck scores as Dublin ran amok.
O Ceallachain took the opportunity to run in all five of his subs and newcomer Jack Lambert was among them.
Dublin: E Gibbons; J Bellew, D Lucey, I O hEithir; D Gray, C Crummey 0-2, P Dunleavy; B Hayes, C Burke 0-1; Dara Purcell 0-3, D Power, C O Riain 1-3; C O’Sullivan 0-13, 11f, J Hetherton 0-2, F Whitely.
Subs: D O Dulaing for Whitely 53, S Gallagher for Gray 46, C Hayes 0-1 for B Hayes 57, David Purcell for Hetherton 60, J Lambert for Dunleavy 63.
Antrim: R Elliott; C Boyd, D McCloskey, P Burke; C Bohill, R McGarry, E Campbell; S Walsh, N Elliott 0-1; P Boyle, K Molloy, N McKenna 0-2; E O’Neill, N O’Connor 0-1, J McNaughton 0-10, 8f.
Subs: E McFerran for Boyd h/t, G Walsh for McGarry h/t, S Elliott for O’Connor 48, J Maskey for Bohill 54, J McLaughlin for O’Neill 66.
Ref: J Owens (Wexford).
