No Con O'Callaghan? No problem for Dublin who finished strongly at Croke Park to see off Cork and secure their All-Ireland SFC quarter-final spot.
Captain O'Callaghan was named to play before being withdrawn before throw-in, stripping the 2023 champions of their key attacker.
It didn't cost them on this occasion though with Seán Bugler and Cormac Costello sharing 10 points evenly between them, Bugler kicking the only two-pointer of the entire game.
Paddy Small also stepped up for Dublin in attack and struck four points in front of 36,546.
Brian Howard's goal in the 45th minute was a hugely important score too while John Small had a strong game at the centre of Dublin's defence.
Dublin have yet to learn their quarter-final opposition and will feel they still have some improving to do.
O'Callaghan initially picked up an apparent hamstring injury in the win over Galway and didn't feature at all in the subsequent Croke Park loss to Armagh.
Word filtered around Croke Park a couple of hours beforehand that he wouldn't play and, sure enough, the Cuala man was withdrawn despite having played against Derry last week.
Lorcan O'Dell is a quality forward and stepped in but losing their talisman was a huge blow.
It wasn't initially apparent, not in attacking terms at least, as Dublin pointed after just 33 seconds, through Paddy Small, and struck the game's first four points.
But just as it looked like they might pull significantly clear and put up a big score, they suddenly found themselves overwhelmed and only added another three points in the first half.
They didn't score at all between the fifth minute, when Bugler pointed, and the 17th minute.
In that period, Cork registered 1-03, 1-01 of which came from Chris Óg Jones who stuck his goal away in the 12th minute and finished with 1-04 overall.
A sideline was played to Ian Maguire who picked out Jones and the corner-forward finished well for his goal, driving the ball low and across Stephen Cluxton to his far corner.
It put Cork into a lead that they held for the rest of the first half, reaching the interval with a deserved 1-08 to 0-09 advantage.
Brian Hurley nailed back-to-back points for Cork during their dominance and goalkeeper Micheál Aodh Martin powered over a 45 after a Jones shot at Cluxton was parried behind.
But a two-pointer for Dublin moments before the break, from Bugler, gave them vital momentum.
They were better after the break too, tying the game up in the 41st minute at 0-12 to 1-09 before Howard spun away from Seán McDonnell and planted the ball in the top corner of the Cork net.
It was a cracking finish though it didn't kick-start Dublin as fans behind the goals on the Hill 16 terrace presumed it would.
In fact, Cork grabbed the next three points to level it up again at 1-12 apiece, Colm O'Callaghan, Jones and Mark Cronin doing the needful.
Then Sean Walsh made it four Cork points in a row to nudge them ahead.
Cork manager John Cleary booted the ball away soon after, after it had crossed the sideline, and the ball was brought up for a two-point free attempt but Costello couldn't convert.
That was a let off but Dublin kept the pressure on in the closing quarter and eventually pulled decisively clear.
It wasn't Dublin at their free-flowing best but they brought their big-game experience to the surface in the final 10 minute or so.
From the 59th minute onwards, Dublin outscored Cork 0-04 to 0-01 with two of those scores coming from the boot of Costello.
Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; Eoin Murchan, Seán MacMahon, David Byrne; Brian Howard (1-00), John Small (0-01), Lee Gannon (0-01); Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, Ciarán Kilkenny (0-01); Killian McGinnis, Niall Scully (0-01), Seán Bugler (0-05, 1tp); Paddy Small (0-04), Lorcan O'Dell, Cormac Costello (0-05, 0-02f).
Subs: Cian Murphy for O'Dell (45), Luke Breathnach (0-01) for McGinnis (57), Tom Lahiff for Gannon (59), Nathan Doran for Scully (68).
Cork: Micheál Aodh Martin (0-01, 0-01 45); Daniel O'Mahony, Maurice Shanley, Neil Lordan; Brian O'Driscoll, Seán Brady, Matty Taylor; Ian Maguire (0-01), Colm O'Callaghan (0-02); Paul Walsh, Seán Walsh (0-01), Seán McDonnell; Brian Hurley (0-02), Mark Cronin (0-04, 0-02f), Chris Og Jones (1-04).
Subs: Eoghan McSweeney for Paul Walsh (48), Conor Cahalane for McDonnell (49-58, blood), Cathail O'Mahony (0-01) for Hurley (55), Sean Powter for Taylor (58), Luke Fahy for Lordan (63).
Referee: Sean Hurson (Tyrone).
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