Westmeath 0-15 Dublin 0-10: After a turbulent week of distraction Dublin turned in a patchy performance against Westmeath who capped a memorable campaign with a mature performance to claim the division two title at Pairc Tailtean.
The raft of suspensions sustained in the aftermath of last weekend's dust up with Meath left Paul Caffrey with a selection dilemma. In came Darren Magee and Shane Ryan for the central pairing of Ciaran Whelan and Eamonn Fennell.
Barry Cahill replaced Ross McConnell at full back and regular wing back Paul Casey reverted to corner back for Paddy Andrews. Mark Vaughan, Kevin Bonner, Conal Keaney and John O'Brien were entrusted in attack.
Westmeath called upon John Smith and Martin Flanagan and the latter was influential throughout, but it was Westmeath's invention up front that proved the difference. The visitors were quicker to every early ball with Fergal Wilson and Dennis Glennon showing good movement and keeping the Dublin backline busy with some tidy short passing.
Glennon pointed first after Wilson was fouled by a combination of Bryan Cullen and Barry Cahill in the third minute and his quick free into Alan Mangan three minutes later allowed the corner forward to double the lead.
Dublin lacked shape in the opening exchanges and took until the 12th minute to register their first point through Brendan McManamon, but they were soon level thanks to the left boot of O'Brien and a Mark Vaughan free sent them ahead.
The corner forward then showed great strength to put the goal at Keaney's mercy but his team-mate fisted his effort off the bar from point blank range.
Jason Sherlock began to pull the Westmeath defence out of shape and grabbed two points himself - one courtesy of a great ball from Colly Moran - before injury saw him replaced by Ray Cosgrove.
Keaney and Flanagan then traded points, before more quick thinking from Glennon allowed Dermott Bannon to score the first of two quickfire points either side of a Cullen score for Dublin, to leave Paul Caffrey's side leading by a point at the break.
The sides emerged with more urgency in the second period and the pace quickened, but after O'Brien and Bonner pointed for Dublin, Westmeath raised the bar and never looked back, coming to the fore through Bannon's third point, Mangan's second and three from Wilson.
Marauding runs from half-backs Michael Ennis and Damien Healy forced Dublin on to the back foot but it was Glennon's clever play that was a constant source of frustration and Paul Casey was carded for a late challenge on the full forward.
A booming point from Flanagan opened the lead to three points and forced Caffrey's hand as he replaced McManamon and Cosgrove with Eoghan O'Gara and Diamond respectively. The latter set up the former for a goal chance with five minutes remaining but Gary Connaughton was equal to it in the Westmeath goal.
There was purpose about Dublin's play again and Vaughan reduced the lead to two with a free from the left touchline in the 67th minute, but Dessie Dolan's introduction with eight minutes remaining had allowed Westmeath more time on the ball and Glennon topped a dynamic performance with his second point before Bannon's fourth.