With a scintillating second-half showing Dunshaughlin set down a marker in the hoganstand.com SFC with a big win over Moynalvey on a pristine Skryne pitch on Saturday evening.
Dunshaughlin ...... 3-17
Moynalvey ........... 2-3
Both teams entered the fray with similar records: one win, one loss. By the end 17 points separated the sides.
Anthony Moyles' men outscored Moynalvey by 1-11 to 0-1 in the second-half on a great night for football; calm, overcast and a well-prepared pitch.
Just over a minute into the second-half Trevor Dowd - the match-winner against Wolfe Tones six days earlier - netted Dunshaughlin's third goal. Cathal O'Dwyer and Ray Maloney were in support.
O'Dwyer finished with 2-9 to his name, with 2-4 coming in quite a closely contested opening half. Dowd's goal left it 3-6 to 2-2.
Curiously there were no more goals after five were posted in the opening 32 minutes. Dunshaughlin added 11 points, a sequence interuppted in the 55th minute when Moynalvey sub David McLoughlin landed his side's sole second-half score with a fine individual effort from play.
O'Dwyer had 1-4 to his name before Fergus Toolan became their second scorer in the 21st minute.
Entering the final quarter it was 3-12 to 2-2. Toolan's fourth and final point was one of the highlights of the third quarter.
In the latter stages sub Shane Gallogly brought the number of Dunshaughlin scorers to six. Ben Duggan's workrate more than compensated for the fact that he didn't get on the scoresheet.
Less than 15 seconds in and Dunshaughlin were off the mark with O'Dwyer netting with assistance from Trevor Dowd.
Moynalvey responded well to that early setback with a Brian O'Reilly point before James Weldon netted a fifth minute penalty.
It left Moynalvey ahead for the only time in the opening half, 1-1 to 1-0.
The scores were tied once in the opening half. Later, in the 23rd minute when Dara Branagan goaled to leave it Moynalvey were just a point in arrears , 2-1 to 1-5.
In between Dunshaughlin experienced something of a scoring surge with O'Dwyer reaching 1-4 before Fergus Toolan joined him on the scoresheet.
O'Dwyer's second goal of the half, with the help of Ronan Geraghty was the beginning of Dunshaughlin's sustained surge towards a second win of the campaign.
Dunshaughlin went on to lead by 2-6 to 2-2 at the break and from the resumption quickly increased the gap.
Next up for Dunshaughlin is a meeting with Simonstown while Moynalvey face Na Fianna. Both games are set for Sunday, August 21.
Dunshaughlin - Andrew Smith; Fearghal Delaney, Caoimhin King, Michael Ahern; Danny Quinn, Alastair Doyle, Niall Murphy; John Crimmins, Ray Maloney (0-1); Tadhg O Dushlaine, Ronan Geraghty (0-1), Ben Duggan; Trevor Dowd (1-1), Fergus Toolan (0-4), Cathal O'Dwyer (2-9). Subs - Dan Ormsby for Ahern (51), Stephen Ward for Toolan (51),Shane Gallogly (0-1) for O Dushlaine (51).
Moynalvey - Conor Egan; Robert Lawless, Cathal McCabe, Darren Brennan; Conor Harnan, Stephen Donoghue, Dara Branagan (1-0); Donal Smith, Brian Harnan; Brian O'Reilly (0-1), Mark O'Sullivan (0-1 f), Fergal McCabe; Shane Lenehan, James O'Neill, James Weldon (1-0 pen). Subs - David McLoughlin (0-1 f) for O'Neill (14), Eamon Walsh for Lawless (41), Paul Conneely for Smith (45), James Kelly for Weldon (56).
Referee - Joey Curley (Moynalty)