A stroll for Dublin in Croke Park today as they eased to an eye-watering 4-29 to 0-10 victory over Westmeath.

33,370 were at Headquarters to witness this utterly one-sided turkey-shoot - a game which was over as any sort of contest long before the short whistle sounded. This was Dublin's 20th successive win in the provincial phase of the championship.

Paul Mannion knocked over eight points for the rampant defending All-Ireland champions, while Dean Rock, Ciaran Kilkenny and subs Eoghan O'Gara and Kevin McManamon netted as they cantered into the provincial decider, where they will face Kildare in the middle of next month.

The sides shared eight points inside the opening twelve minutes but the athletic, swaggering Dubs then took complete control of every sector of the pitch to assume a commanding 1-15 to 0-5 interval lead, with Rock pushing the ball to the net in the 28^th minute.

John Egan sliced over the losers' fifth point in the 20^th minute but it was followed before the break by 1-6 without reply from Jim Gavin's imperious machine. While the new-look Dubs - with the likes of Paul Flynn (an unused sub), Philly McMahon and Michael Darragh MacAuley not featuring and Diarmuid Connolly suspended - were a class apart, Westmeath's kick-outs did them no favours and they seemed to effectively throw in the towel after 15 minutes.

There were three late changes to the Westmeath starting team with Alan Gaughan, David Lynch and Egan coming in for Alan Stone, Tommy McDaniel and Denis Glennon, while the holders gave the nod to Darren Daly instead of McManamon.

The slaughtering match started brightly as Con O'Callaghan and John Heslin exchanged points inside the opening minute and the winners led by double scores after ten minutes, 0-4 to 0-2, O'Callaghan bagging his second after Paddy Andrews had increased their lead and Rock (free) swapping scores with Kieran Martin.

The underdogs were level by the twelfth minute as Egan took a lovely score from a tight angle and Martin demonstrated great strength and craft to clip one over at the Davin End off his left.

Mannion swept over a terrific strike and Darren Quinn denied O'Callaghan from point-blank range before Andrews and Rock ('45') tacked on another couple of Dubs scores - 0-7 to 0-4 after 16 minutes.

At his ease, Kilkenny floated over the hosts' fourth unanswered score to make it double scores again at the end of the first quarter. Egan sliced over a lovely point off the outside of his right foot but not before Brian Fenton contributed Dublin's fifth successive point. It was double scores for the fourth time when Rock effortlessly nailed his second '45' - a difficult one from right of centre, which he dropped over the bar at the Hill 16 end with ridiculous ease.

In the 25^th minute, O'Callaghan had too much space as he landed an eleventh Dublin point on top of the net; Kilkenny blazed a wonderful chance high and wide from straight in front of the posts with the net at his mercy but the opening goal arrived 90 seconds later when Rock palmed / threw to the net from close range after a selfless handpass from the influential Eric Lowndes - 1-11 to 0-5 after 28 minutes.

Rock (free), Mannion (2) and Kilkenny completed the first-half rout and the atmosphere was the opposite to electric as the teams departed for their half-time team chats, the Dubs already safely through to yet another provincial decider.

Mannion notched the first point of the second half via the inside of the left upright and he effortlessly arrowed over his fifth in the 38^th minute to give the holders a resounding 15-point lead. Heslin pulled back a free but Rock immediately tapped over a free at the other end. After Martin clawed another one back, half-time substitute O'Gara showed what he can do when gathering a pass and swivelling quickly around his marker before thumping a powerful shot to the roof of the Westmeath net in the 42^nd minute - 2-18 to 0-7.

A brace of Heslin frees offered no respite for the visitors as the Dubs kicked on with points from Kilkenny, Mannion (3), substitutes Shane Carthy and Brogan (free), and Jack McCaffrey before Ger Egan grabbed a tenth and final Lake County score two minutes from the end.

The hapless midlanders had to finish the game with 14 men as sub Noel Mulligan was black-carded after Mannion blasted over his eighth point, with Tom Cribbin having used up all his substitutes. The winners finished the game with another scoring flurry: a second point from Brogan, a thumping Kilkenny goal, points from substitute McManamon, Fenton and Carthy and a McManamon rocket to the top right corner of the net as icing on the cake.

Westmeath go into the Qualifiers and Dublin are 70 minutes away from a record seventh successive Leinster crown.

Dublin - S Cluxton; M Fitzsimons, J Cooper, E Lowndes; N Scully, C O'Sullivan, J McCaffrey (0-1); B Fenton (0-2), J McCarthy; C Kilkenny (1-3), P Andrews (0-2), P Mannion (0-8); D Daly, C O'Callaghan (0-3), D Rock (1-5, 0-3f, 0-2'45). Subs: E O'Gara (1-0) for P Andrews, S Carthy (0-2) for J Cooper, D Byrne for M Fitzsimons, B Brogan (0-2, 1f) for D Rock, K McManamon (1-1) for N Scully, B Howard for C O'Callaghan.

Westmeath - D Quinn; J Gonoud, K Maguire, K Daly; M McCallon, F Boyle, J Dolan; A Gaughan, G Egan (0-1); C McCormack, P Sharry, K Martin (0-3); D Lynch, J Heslin (0-4, 3f), J Egan (0-2). Subs: N Mulligan for A Gaughan, K Reilly for C McCormack, C Boyle for K Daly, S Corcoran for J Egan, D Glennon for P Sharry, A Stone for D Lynch, N Mulligan (BC).

Referee - C Lane.

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