And if there was a little more at stake at the RJ Stadium in Tampa, Florida a day later, a smaller crowd of 72,500 witnessed the clash between Pittsburgh and Arizona. Maybe the people who claim that Gaelic games are on the wane could do with some perspective.
Perhaps not surprisingly, an early season fixture with not much more than bragging rights at stake took some time to catch fire, but when Dublin did finally find their feet in a cracking second half, they pushed Tyrone all the way before the All Ireland champions came through by 1-18 to 1-16.
Trailing by six points just before the break, Dublin’s revival was kick-started by a Bernard Brogan goal which was then followed by some excellent attacking football and when Brogan lobbed over a point close to full time, it seemed as if new manager Pat Gilroy was going to start his tenure with a victory to savor.
But Tyrone weren’t finished, and with a quick flourish that came as a reminder of their first-half dominance, two points by Sean Cavanagh and another from Stephen O’Neill deprived Dublin of the win.
If Cavanagh produced the goods exactly when they were needed, O’Neill emerged as the star of the show with eight superb points including six from play.
The players bought into the history of the occasion by donning 19th century kit for the pre-game parade, but there was a more modern feel after the match as spectators remained in the stadium to watch a fireworks and light display.
Elsewhere in Division One, Kerry got their campaign off to a winning start when they easily got the better of a poor Donegal side by 2-13 to 0-11 in Tralee. Two early goals by Colm Cooper and Tommy Walsh set the tone, and after only 17 minutes, Kerry were in front by 2-6 to 0-1.
Donegal had an edge in the second half with Brian Roper landing three points, but that had as much to do with Jack O’Connor’s decision to empty the Kerry bench.
Last season’s champions, Derry, had four players yellow carded under the new experimental disciplinary rules but still managed to defeat Mayo by 1-9 to 0-10 in Ballina. Mayo drew level with a quarter of an hour remaining, however, Derry finished strongly with point from Paul Cartin, James Kielt and Pol de Suin.
Football might evolve, but goals still win matches as Westmeath found out to their cost in Mullingar where they lost to Galway by 2-10 to 0-11. Westmeath were well in the contest going into the finishing straight, but goals by Jonathan Ryan and Michael Meehan who found the target from the penalty spot saw Galway home.
The National League is a long way removed from the All Ireland championship in more ways than one, but Armagh still had a point to prove when they travelled to Wexford Park last Sunday for their opening Division Two game.
Sensationally, dumped out of last summer’s championship by Wexford at the quarter-final stage, they duly exacted a measure of revenge with a convincing 4-16 to 2-9 victory which also signaled the emergence of a new star in corner forward Ryan Henderson.
A last-minute replacement for Michael O’Rourke, Henderson produced a superb scoring performance as he helped himself to 4-3 with two goals in each half. “It was a tremendous day for Ryan. He looked sharp and created many opportunities himself,” said Armagh manager, Peter McDonnell. “He was playing very good football with his club Clann Eireann, he came in on trials like everyone else, caught my eye, and here he is now.”
While the Cork hurlers’ stand-off with the County Board continues, the footballers got their league season under way with a comfortable 1-15 to 0-9 win over Meath at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Once Michael Cussen struck for an early goal, Cork were always in control, and leading by eight points at the interval, they could afford to throttle back in the second half.
Donncha O’Connor with four points from play, and Daniel Goulding with four frees kept the scoreboard ticking over for the home team while Cian Ward and Caoimhin King had two apiece for Meath.
Monaghan secured a valuable win in Enniskillen where they defeated rivals Fermanagh by 2-12 to 1-10. Conor McManus made a big impact with an impressive 1-3 from right half-back while Tommy Freeman added a penalty. Fermanagh were unable to build on an early Enda Ferris goal although Shane O’Brien scored three good points from midfield.
A strong second-half display by Kildare was enough for a 0-18 to 1-8 victory over Laois at O’Moore Park. Only ahead by one point at the break, Kildare had Dermot Earley to thank for their subsequent dominance, and the former All Star was ably assisted by Ronan Sweeney, Eamonn Callaghan and James Kavanagh.
In hurling, there was frustration for Galway as they lost out to Kilkenny after extra-time in the final of the Walsh Cup in Freshford. It finished 2-17 to 1-18, but that scoreline disguises the fact that at one stage during the second half, Galway led by eight points. Richie Power had 1-11 including nine frees for the winners, a total which was equalled by Galway’s Ger Farragher who hit 10 frees.
Meanwhile, Westmeath took the Kehoe Cup with a fully deserved 0-16 to 0-9 success against Carlow in the final in Kinnegad.