Jim Gavin admitted he was expecting Cork to produce the challenge that had their first Super 8s game of this summer in the balance until the last 10 minutes.
The Blues eventually cantered to a 13-point triumph but that was hardly a reflection of the contest that had unfolded, with the Rebels putting it up to the reigning All-Ireland champions for an hour.
"Yeah I think we did well to limit Cork to 1-17, they're a very potent side," said Dubs boss Gavin, who was able to give Jonny Cooper his first taste of championship action of the summer in the final minutes.
"We might have got a penalty claim but they looked really strong. We probably took out goal chances a bit better than they did, and that was the difference in the end.
"That's just the quality of the Cork side, their scores were very impressive, we knew them very well since their under-21 days and scoring 10-48 in their first three games is pretty impressive.
"Their recent championship games are a true reflection of them, they play a game similar to ourselves, a skill-based game, and they're very athletic.
"This Dublin team has been very resilient over the years, they got it back to three points in the second half and our lads responded very well to that. It was all hands on deck."
Man of the match Jack McCaffrey said: "It was close until the last 10 or 15 minutes, it was hammer and tongs and something for us to sort out in the next few days.
"But we kept going and going until the last minute".
Cork boss Ronan McCarthy was pleased with his side's efforts but also insisted that it wasn't good enough not to stay toe to toe with Dublin to the end.
“If I was to be critical of the team, I would say we’re just a small bit naïve still," he said. "But the more we play the top teams, the more we learn from it. Look, I think we’re in good shape coming into the match (against Tyrone) next week.
“Every time you give them the ball back, you pay for it at the other end.
“We started the game quite well, probably were unfortunate for the first goal ...
“Overall, I thought they were positive, they showed courage. "You come away from the game, 22 scores to 17, we had nine different scorers, I think, up front. There’s a lot of positives in it."
Describing Dublin as an "outstanding" team, McCarthy added: "First thing is, they don’t panic. I think their decision-making is really the key thing.
"They’re patient, they’ll always wait for the right man to get the shot off – whereas at times we're a bit rushed, a bit hassled, in some of the decisions we made.
“I felt we gave as good as we got for a long time. Obviously they pulled away at the end and it looked quite emphatic. But we just have to accept it".
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