Dessie Farrell believes the brief stint in Division 2 will be of benefit to Dublin in the longer term - but concedes there's hard graft ahead in terms of being ready for the business end of this year's championship.
The seven-point victory over Louth last Sunday earned the Dubs an immediate return to the top tier next year.
The campaign also marked the return of three veteran All-Ireland winners in Jack McCaffrey, Paul Mannion and, right at the end of the regular round of fixtures, Stephen Cluxton.
