How times have changed. During Dublin’s dominion, there was a persistent campaign to move their matches from Croke Park. It generally fell on deaf ears. Leinster counties in general agreed that it would be a good thing but, unless they were the ones drawn against the Dubs, they preferred the enhanced gate receipts generated on Jones’s Road.As a result, Dublin went 10 years without a provincial championship match outside of Croke Park, from Longford in June 2006 to a match against Laois in Kilkenny on the same weekend in 2016.Once that happened, road trips became more regular. In All-Ireland competition, they had also been rare on account of Dublin’s perennial status as Leinster champions. That meant they were straight into the All-Ireland quarter-finals, which were nearly always played at Croke Park after the stadium’s redevelopment.There were exceptions. The two legendary trips to Tipp, to take on Kerry in a quarter-final and replay in 2001, provided a great education for the Dubs on tour. The education included learning the whereabouts of plan-B byways as well as appreciating the importance of planning toilet breaks.The county’s national travelling experience was necessarily limited by winning 18 out 22 Leinster titles during the All-Ireland qualifier era.A friend once recounted how his county was never in any doubt that playing Dublin in Croke Park was an away fixture: the way the opposing players interacted with the stadium staff and the constant use of the same dressingroom. That was ingeniously explained as alphabetical in the Irish-language version, Áth Cliath, until it was pointed out that Meath were in fact An Mhí.And of course it had to be an advantage, knowing where you were every week and the practised routines. From the All-Ireland win in 2011 and especially during Jim Gavin’s imperial phase, Dublin would have happily played anywhere – since 2018, when away matches were factored into various formats, Dublin have never lost on the road.Dublin manager Tommy Carr (left) and Kerry counterpart Páidí Ó Sé during the 2001 All-Ireland SFC quarter-final at Semple Stadium, Co Tipperary. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho One riposte during that period when the Croke Park tenancy was most questioned involved Parnell Park – and the fact that it’s the county’s official home ground.This transparently disingenuous response resonated last weekend in what is now the real world for Dublin. Manager Ger Brennan, courteous and conciliatory having served a 12-week touchline suspension despite the staggering double standard involved, mentioned that he would like to see his team play in their actual home venue.The response was triggered by a question about the team being “re-ignited” away from the pressures of Croke Park.“I think so,” he replied. “The evidence speaks for itself and if we are to get a home draw – I know our senior hurlers have a big game away to Clare on Saturday night – I’d love to go and play probably on a Sunday in Parnell Park and get out of Croke Park.” Full circle for Dublin. From an enduringly unfair advantage to the county, Croke Park has become a pressure on a developing team, who appear to function better in other environments.Sunday stands a good chance of being a fourth successive championship defeat at Headquarters: Tyrone in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final, Westmeath in May’s Leinster final, Louth in round one of the All-Ireland and, barring a big upheaval of form, Donegal in round three.Should that happen, it will be the first time Dublin have lost four consecutive championship matches at Croke Park. They have previously managed four-in-a-row without winning but those sequences include draws, such as the famous 1991 saga with Meath.If Dublin are happy to travel, whether it be to Donnycarney or farther afield, other counties are equally glad to see them. It has been one of the great innovations of format change this century that home venue for All-Ireland matches has become a practice.Alan Brogan lifts the Sam Maguire Cup in front of supporters on Hill 16 following Dublin's All-Ireland SFC final victory against Kerry in 2015. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho There has been comment on the upcoming round three that it would be fairer to stage these fixtures at neutral venues. Strictly speaking, this is true, but the decor in a last-chance saloon is hardly a priority and counties being able to host important matches is a great promotional tool.After all, it is commonplace in provincial championships and was an established part of the old qualifiers.As a supporter, I loved trips to championship matches on summer afternoons, the ritual about deciding when to turn around and park the car facing Dublin before locating a pub for pre-hydration.In those days, the Holy Hour extended to two on a Sunday and you could never be sure whether a rural pub would observe it or not once two o’clock struck. I remember confidently ordering because I had seen troupes of people get served – only for the barman to fix me with a cranky gaze and bark: “Are you well?”There used to follow the walk up to the ground, absorption in the match and lengthy postmortems on the way home.It was possible on Sunday to get a sense of that with Dublin supporters arriving in Breffni Park, not entirely free of apprehension about the match and certainly at half-time, the home following was upbeat about the one-point deficit.In the end, they were able to celebrate and swarm Brennan, the Hill’s own Dreyfus.Anyway, that’s it. Sunday was the last time as correspondent that I will point the car out of Dublin and head for a provincial venue. We’re among the first to arrive and the last to leave. We beat the traffic on the way in and on the way out, motor along by-now uncongested roads – unless unlucky, like the other night in Virginia.It’s a great time of year for driving, night holding off as late as it will ever do and in the rearview mirror, memory of another championship Sunday glowing in the midsummer sunset.email: sean.moran@irishtimes.com