There was a beginning and an end to Meath's Bank of Ireland Leinster football final victory. In the first five minutes Dublin missed a goal chance and Meath didn't. In the last five minutes Dublin created plenty of chances but missed them as well and by the final whistle they were still that goal adrift.

This was a fitting illustration of the gap between the teams. Meath were clinical about taking chances despite a good collective effort from the Dublin defence.

In attack Dublin were at times hesitant, inaccurate and prone to panic. Yet they kept the match in their sights throughout yesterday's final and a little more composure might have seen them survive - particularly in the last 10 minutes when a succession of useful chances were blazed wide.

But these are the situations made for Meath. Sean Boylan's teams are remarkable for getting the best out of individuals and showcasing significant contributions from players who don't feature on the A-lists of celebrity.

Yesterday when the blue-chip duo of Ollie Murphy and Graham Geraghty managed only two scores - thanks to some tidy work by Coman Goggins and Paddy Christie - all the forwards scored from play.

Evan Kelly got three of those points, all in the first half. It was the latest significant haul for the Drumree player whose scoring contributions to the All-Ireland win two years ago were so vital and who has become such an effective presence on the wing.

Similarly the half backs - the only line on the team not to have a survivor from the 1996 All-Ireland win - played strongly as a unit, conceding little and contesting the breaks well.

Some of the established players were also prominent. Trevor Giles was dependable as ever, working possession cleverly and posing a constant threat when he got on the ball. Full back Darren Fay was excellent and saw off the attentions of three different candidates. The biggest scalp was Ian Robertson, Dublin's most highly-rated forward.

For whatever reason - and it was alien to his temperament - Robertson got involved in a niggling battle with Fay. Cue much brawling and cantankerous clashes. When was the last time that ever benefited a full forward?

Robertson got booked and his game deteriorated. Even a move to the 40 in the second half failed to resuscitate things and he was replaced with 20 minutes of the game remaining.

Fay sailed serenely on, comfortable marking both Jason Sherlock and Vinny Murphy and reaching the final whistle without conceding a single score. His general play and anticipation were of the highest order and in some ways they needed to be. On either side of him, both Mark O'Reilly and Cormac Murphy were troubled on a continual basis and frequently resorted to fouling as a result of which both were shown a yellow card.

Despite these rearguard difficulties, Meath held onto their early lead for the 70 or so minutes separating their first score from the final whistle. They were assisted quite generously by Dublin's incontinent sequence of wides - in the end, more than twice Meath's total.

But in fairness to Tom Carr's team, they competed all the way through and out-performed the more pessimistic pre-match expectations.

Early on Martin Cahill suffered in a clash of heads and had to be replaced in the 12th minute. Shane Ryan came on for him and acquitted himself well, using his mobility to win a good amount of possession and move it forward.

Jonny Magee passed his fitness test to start the match but was moved to the wing in a swap with Peadar Andrews. A bandage on his hand inhibited the regular centre back but he came into the action in the second half even if a series of dashes from the back largely came to nothing.

The tone for the match was set by Graham Geraghty in the fifth minute. He was the grateful recipient of a mistake by David Byrne in the Dublin goal. He spilled a dropping ball, an attempted point by Ollie Murphy, and Geraghty guided the ball into the net with his fist.

From then on, Dublin were chasing the match and although they kept the margin within two or three points - even after conceding a second goal, a great 56th-minute interchange between Richie Kealy, Giles and Nigel Nestor with Kealy finishing it - they never managed to shut the gap.

It might have been different had Sherlock done better with a goal chance in the second minute but he kicked wide.

Meath's early lead was maintained as Dublin struggled. Wayne McCarthy missed a straightforward free-kick from 30 metres and within minutes had squandered a goal opportunity after Robertson broke a ball from Sherlock to him.

It was a difficult afternoon for McCarthy. His free taking hasn't shone in the championship and he still lacks the physical authority to impose himself on matches. Yet he persevered and saw a fair bit of ball, particularly in the second half.

Dublin's most effective forward was Des Farrell. The captain has been troubled by chronic injury problems in recent years but his reading of the game, strength on the ball and shooting have remained with him and was a constant threat.

In the semi-final against Offaly, he kick-started Dublin's scoring and yesterday he was excellent at creating space and opportunity. He kicked three points and it should have been four but having worked himself into a great position in the 61st minute he miscalculated the shot and it blew wide.

There was something for everyone at centrefield. Meath welcomed back John McDermott and he responded with a couple of big catches and absorbed all the knocks and hits to be expected of the sector. He also lasted 70 minutes. Darren Homan played so well in the early stages that McDermott was actually moved onto him.

Ciaran Whelan sparked in the second half with surging runs and three points, including one which might have been a goal, as Dublin got a grip in the middle but he was switched to the wing when Enda Sheehy came on as a substitute.