Dublin firmly consigned league relegation to the back of their minds when easing into championship stride with Saturday's Leinster quarter-final demolition of Wexford at Chadwicks Wexford Park.
Brian Fenton was orchestrator in chief as Dessie Farrell’s troops extended a 0-10 to 0-01 interval lead to 1-11 to 0-01 when the returning Con O’Callaghan pounced for a 40th minute goal as the Sky Blues struck all the right notes in a facile victory.
Wexford’s lowly status in Division 4 of the league was reflected in a rather abject challenge, and they are now left to try to regroup in the inaugural Tailteann Cup.
Dublin, meanwhile, await their fate in the draw for the provincial semi-finals on The Sunday Game, but will certainly encounter a truer test of their credentials.
Indeed, they demonstrated the gulf in class here, with nine different scorers as they extended their perfect run in Leinster to 34 games.
They were wide twice early on before Brian Fenton began to pull the strings as the gold-booted Dean Rock cracked the ice after nine minutes, before Fenton quickly doubled the gap.
Wexford centre-back Glen Malone did well to feed Eoghan Nolan to peg it back to 0-02 to 0-01 in the tenth minute.
But the home side were reduced to hopeful excursions thereafter while Fenton calmly orchestrated the visitors into the comfort zone.
Even Wexford's heroic gunslinger from the previous weekend against Offaly, Ben Brosnan, was seeking to add to the defensive shell, which Fenton helped crack as he together with Brian Howard and Rock eased Dessie Farrell’s men clear by 0-05 to 0-01 before the Wexford goal twice survived close shaves.
Cormac Costello found Fenton from the left corner and the latter offloaded to O’Callaghan who picked out defender John Small racing in from the right to crash a thumping shot off the crossbar in the 23rd minute.
And after Fenton’s third score – the first off his left peg – made it 0-06 to 0-01, the Dubs generated another gilt-edged goaling chance when Ciarán Kilkenny sent O’Callaghan haring through only to seemingly also hit the crossbar. However, despite an intervention by a linesman, the referee declared a point, and Rock, Costello and Fenton had Dublin cruising at the break (0-10 to 0-01).
The Dubs kept Wexford waiting for the resumption, but they wasted little time in sinking home ambitions further.
Fenton’s fifth point was soon added to by O’Callaghan netting a rebound on 40 minutes after Dean Rock’s dash from the right end-line resulted in his angled shot hitting the underside of the crossbar.
And three successive O’Callaghan points only added to Wexford’s hurt after 47 minutes as they trailed 1-16 to 0-02.
Dublin seized the opportunity to flex their bench as newly appointed captain James McCarthy was introduced in tandem with Niall Scully.
Niall Hughes sought to ease Wexford’s woes when notching a mark following his switch to full-forward, and Dublin 'keeper David O’Hanlon spared the blushes of substitute Seán McMahon after the latter fumbled a delivery from Kevin O’Grady.
Liam Lahiff and sub Lorcan O’Dell added to the Dublin haul, while Páraic Hughes pegged one back for a deflated Wexford as the eleven in a row Leinster champions power forth.
Dublin: David O’Hanlon; Eoin Murchan, Michael Fitzsimons, Lee Gannon; John Small (0-01), Jonny Cooper, Robert McDaid; Brian Fenton (0-05), Tom Lahiff (0-01); Seán Bugler, Brian Howard (0-02), Ciarán Kilkenny (0-01); Cormac Costello (0-02), Dean Rock (0-05, 0-01 45, 0-01m), Con O’Callaghan (1-06).
Subs: James McCarthy for McDaid (49), Niall Scully for Bugler (49), Seán MacMahon for Murchan (53), Aaron Byrne for Costello (54), Lorcan O’Dell (0-1) for Small (62).
Wexford: Darragh Brooks; Liam O’Connor, Eoin Porter, Dylan Furlong; Martin O’Connor Glen Malone, Kevin O’Grady; Niall Hughes (0-01m), Liam Coleman; Alan Tobin, Donal Shanley, Páraic Hughes (0-01); Mark Rossiter, Eoghan Nolan (0-01), Ben Brosnan (0-01).
Subs: Tom Byrne for Shanley (42), Robbie Brooks for Rossiter (46), Michael Furlong for Tobin (60), John Tubritt for Brosnan (69), Seán Ryan for Nolan (69).
Referee: Barry Cassidy (Derry).
