The Church & General National Football League came to an apt conclusion in Pairc Ui Chaoimh yesterday. Cork deservedly won - which was a fair reflection on their season of hard work and improvement.

Less positively, the occasion featured the vile weather seemed a bit optimistic for a crowd that might well have broken records for lowly attendance at a modern National Football League final.

Dublin, in keeping with their recent form which has alternated between good and awful, followed last week's impressive defeat of Armagh with a wretched display. A late goal by substitute Darren Homan conferred a spurious respectability on the scoreline and how Dublin were within two points of Cork at the end was about the only intriguing aspect of the afternoon.

Hardly surprising then that the standard of football was less than inspiring and although Jason Sherlock was sent off six minutes after coming in as a substitute for what looked like striking, the match wasn't exactly passionate.

Aside from the obvious achievement of racking up their fifth league title, Cork have the added satisfaction of having completed the league with their team vindicated and the improvements of the season intact.

Most significant was the continuing good form of the winners' defence. In the annals of Pairc Ui Chaoimh performers, Dublin may have carried as much scoring menace as Michael Jackson's monkey but over the last four matches Cork have conceded an average of little over seven points per match.

Furthermore, the two goals included in the total were both conceded when the matches as contests were over. It's impressive evidence of a defence in form at the right time of the year. Owen Sexton again caught the eye at centre back, seeing off three different opponents, while around him, his fellow defenders were busy and marked tightly.

Midfield wasn't the most striking unit of the team but with Liam Honohan and Damien O'Neill back in action, Larry Tompkins has options.

The Cork forwards showed a pleasing economy, shooting only four wides, but as a combination didn't exactly shape up like a scoring machine. They were good enough to tuck away chances at vital stages and that efficiency won the match.

For Dublin, it's hard to know what to make of the long-term impact. This wasn't one of those defeats where everything turns to dust in the course of one match but the inconsistency must again alarm manager Tom Carr.

The attack never established any rhythm and whereas the redeployment of Brian Stynes to midfield was predictable, the player suffered a head injury in the second half which eventually required his substitution.

Dessie Farrell played well enough on Sean O hAilpin who had marked him effectively in the divisional match in Pairc Ui Rinn last March but not enough flowed from the ball won by the Dublin captain.

At the other end, the full-back line came through in better shape than in recent matches but the half backs were fairly ragged. Short two first-choice players, the line struggled. Paul Curran, influential filling in for Ian Robertson at centre back in the semi-finals, had a poor day and his usually authoritative forays up the field were spoiled by some wayward distribution.

At left wing back Keith Galvin suffered at the hands of Podsie O'Mahony's resurrection after half-time. Midfield ended up fractured and dispersed with Sheehy, Stynes and Ciaran Whelan all ending up in the forwards at various stages, with Darren Homan coming off the bench into the forwards.

Before the throw-in Dublin made a number of switches. Declan Darcy moved from the right wing to centre forward in a swap with Jim Gavin, Paddy Christie went to full back while Shane Ryan took over in the left corner. In the attack Brendan O'Brien and Niall O'Donoghue swapped corners.

Cork ran up a lead of 0-5 to 0-1 after 18 minutes with some welltaken points but might have conceded a goal early on when Kevin O'Dwyer saved superbly from Stynes. The Cork goalkeeper went on to have a fine match and also saved well from Darcy and Farrell at the end of the half. Whelan also had a shot that came off the post.

Had they settled for points in a couple of those situations, Dublin could have reached half-time on level terms instead of trailing 0-3 to 0-5.

The second half started well for Cork. O'Mahony burst through for a point 24 seconds after the restart and although Dublin pulled back the point through Farrell, they had started dispiritingly with a wide from the same player.

O'Mahony was also prominent in the next score, scorching away from a flailing Galvin to draw a desperate save on the line from David Byrne who conceded a 45 which Ciaran O'Sullivan pointed. The critical phase came in two minutes from the 42nd to 44th.

Aidan Dorgan, otherwise quite subdued, took a point and O'Mahony, now a constant menace, kicked two - one from a slip by Galvin and the other a free conceded by Jim Gavin.

By this stage Dublin's entire attack had changed around. Homan came in for Niall O'Donoghue and the consequent changes completely reshuffled the forwards. Although ultimately this course of Feng Shui yielded little, Whelan kicked a point almost immediately after moving to the wing.

Homan had a chance to send Sheehy in on goal in the 49th minute but overhit the handpass. Philip Clifford, who gave Shane Ryan an uncomfortable afternoon before a switch was made, kicked a free to push Cork 0-11 to 0-5 ahead.

Jason Sherlock appeared as a substitute in the 47th minute - surprisingly late given the lack of impact both starting corner forwards were having - but almost immediately became ensnared in a niggling match with Anthony Lynch.

The Dubliner lasted only six minutes on the field before being sent to the line after Lynch was decked off the ball. Referee Brian White confirmed afterwards that it was for this incident that Sherlock had been dismissed and there will be an anxious wait for news of his suspension with the championship only a month away.

Mark O'Sullivan created a fourth point for O'Mahony to give Cork a five-point advantage at the end of normal time. Two minutes into injury-time, Farrell cutely lobbed a close-in free into the air and the in-rushing Homan punched the ball - just about - over the line.