As a spectacle this wasn't the final that we had hoped for, yet the game still turned out as a lot of people predicted. Meath won in a tight finish and certainly deservedly their win with their performance on the day.

The strength of both defences was always going to have a big influence on the game and while that didn't make for the most high-scoring of games, it was at least an improvement on the semi-finals. There was some tremendous skill shown by both sides and some tremendous scores also, considering the conditions were far from ideal.

The essential difference in the victory going to Meath was their superior teamwork. They were asked some serious questions at some key moments, particularly after half-time when they missed the penalty. Cork came back with their goal and the game was still very much there for the taking, but it was Meath who held their game together as a unit.

The other big key difference was in the forward lines, with Meath again just having the greater strength there. In the first half they had Evan Kelly exerting a lot of influence and you would have picked him for man of the match at half-time.

That was what Meath needed, because we had all been talking about the role of Trevor Giles, but he had a very quiet first half and didn't really start playing like he can until 15 minutes to go.

Later, we saw Kelly fade out a little but then Graham Geraghty came into it and ensured they were never falling short.

If you compare that with Cork, Philip Clifford was doing tremendously well with frees and Joe Kavanagh threatened for a while. But the likes of Don Davis didn't have as big an influence as in the Munster final or the semi-final. When players like that don't perform then that's the difference between winning an All-Ireland and not winning it.

Both teams started by putting in long ball and made for a very dour start as the two defences were very much on top. Anthony Lynch was having a great game on Ollie Murphy and Sean Og O hAilpin was doing equally well on Geraghty.

The goal certainly opened it up for Meath, and all the key people from Darren Fay to Trevor Giles who were involved in the build-up. That was the first big indication that things were going Meath's way and I'm sure Sean Boylan was happy enough at halftime.

In contrast, Cork had a lot more wides and a lot more possession which was never converted. The Meath full back was so strong that Cork needed a big break to get back on top. They did that with Kavanagh's goal and went very briefly ahead but once Meath got back level then I sensed the bigger psychological lift was with them and they produced the greater grit and determination all around the field.

Along with Davis, I think that Padraig O'Mahony, Mark O'Sullivan and Michael Cronin will, by their own standards, be disappointed with their contribution. Cork fell that little short with scoring forwards and players to take on greater responsibility.

Clifford had a very courageous and inspiring performance but that was not going to be enough to win it. There was also the strange substitution of bringing on Michael O'Donovan into the forwards, as he had played in the defence all year.

Meath continued to grow in confidence. They brought on Richie Kealy, and he blended well, with some excellent touches which again underlines the strong teamwork within this Meath side. But sometimes it's the unsung heroes that produce the winning show - like Kelly's performance in the first half. In the last 15 minutes we saw Giles have a major impact on the game and that comes down to his intelligence and attitude. He never loses the head and things eventually came good for him.

On the other hand, some of the Cork players put their heads down a little bit. Meath gritted and grafted, and with Giles playing so well they were going to be so hard to break.

It has to be said as well that Cork didn't build enough on Kavanagh's goal. There was a few chances after that but they went the last 15 minutes without a score and that will never win a match. It's at that stage that the game has to be grabbed and that's exactly what Meath did.

It's a tremendous compliment to Sean Boylan that he has come back to win with this team. They were caught last year by Kildare but he has persevered and brought them back to the top of the tree again. He has to be admired as a manager.

You really don't know how the pressure of the double affected Cork, but obviously it is a big disappointment for the county. Still, they contributed to a hard-fought game here even if it wasn't a great spectacle.

There's no doubt they will be back even though it will be hard to think about that right now.