There was a moment in the match that transfixed the crowd at Stradbrook. Dungannon were pushing home their lead three metres out from the Blackrock line and 15 minutes from the end.
The ball, swung out to the centre position, was a little flat and Brian O'Driscoll stepped up to intercept. Quiet for most of the match, O'Driscoll set off towards his club house.
Dungannon despatched their fastest man Ryan Constable to chase him down. The gap never closed over 90 metres.
Dungannon, to their credit, arrived full of vigour and invention and with two flyers on the wings, Constable and Tyrone Howe, who brought as much as any wide men can to a party.
Dungannon made their chances, took them, and then closed the match out largely through the typical erudite kicking for position of David Humphreys.
Willy Anderson, basking in the glow of their first ever win away to Blackrock, was a smiling contrast to the home side who lugubriously congregated at the bottom of the pitch to reflect on what was a sub par performance.
"It is most important to win away," said Anderson. "It's the first time we've ever beaten Blackrock here. We'd like to have played better. They had as many chances as we had but didn't take them."
How true it was. Alan McGowan, so perfect in practice, struggled all afternoon with his place kicking with a poor return of two from six kickable penalties.
A paper thin defence for the first half during which Humphreys manufactured a try from nothing by kicking ahead winning the sprint and then kicking again for Dungannon's first followed by Jan Cunningham finishing off a series of slick handing on the right had Dungannon 3-10 ahead after 17 minutes.
One minute later Howe broke up the left, cut towards the posts leaving Nathan Turner scrambling, knocked over McGowan and spun a ball wide for Constable. It was 3-17 before Humphreys kicked a penalty for half-time and 3-20.
David Johnson deserved to touch down for the first home reply before O'Driscoll's solo gallop moved the score to 18-23.
But two things happened five minutes from the end. Humphreys kicked another big penalty to put two scores between the sides and Leo Cullen's frustration got the better of him, Leo Mayne showing him the yellow card.
SCORING SEQUENCE - 11 mins: D Humphreys try 0-5; 15 mins: A McGowan pen 3-5; 17 mins: J Cunningham try 3-10; 18 mins: R Constable try, Hunphreys con 3-17; 37 mins: Humphreys pen 3-20. Half-time. 50 mins: D Johnson try 8-20; 55 mins: McGowan pen 11-20; 58 mins: Humphreys pen 11-23; 64 mins: B O'Driscoll try, McGowan con 18-23; 75 mins: Humphreys pen 1826.
BLACKROCK: N Turner; D Johnson, B O'Driscoll, M Jackson, T Keating; A McGowan, J Ferris; A McSweeney, S Byrne, N Treston, R Casey, L Cullen, T Hogan, J Ryan, R Rogers. Replacements: J Fitzgerald for Ryan (49 mins); D Popplewell for Ferris (53); I McLoughlin for McSweeney (70).
DUNGANNON: B Cunningham; J Cunningham, R Constable, J Bell, T Howe; D Humphreys, S Bell; J Fitzpatrick, N Brady, G Leslie, P Johns, A Kearney, A Boyd, T McWhirter, M Haslett. Replacements R Mackey for Leslie (54 mins).
Referee: L Mayne (MRA).
