Gulp! There is no turning back now. Kilkenny, vanquished in the last two All-Ireland finals, have risen for another September showdown after lording it over Galway yesterday.
Perhaps it was the will of the gods that, after Offaly had burgled Cork in typically cavalier fashion, only their old neighbours would provide suitable partners for this last waltz. Brian Cody's men are sturdy and silken and honest. All this we know and they reinforced it yesterday in a withering All-Ireland semi-final second-half performance, eclipsing Galway by 2-19 to 0-17.
Familiar names branded a new story. John Power, rampaging and fiery. Denis Byrne, spiralling point after perfect point. A signature goal of patented beauty from DJ Carey. Eamonn Kennedy, solid and quietly heroic.
Oh, they have strong-boned character this team, but, fatally, no silverware as yet. This win sets them on slippery, precious ground. A late break for glory or a tumble into the chasm of three consecutive All-Ireland final defeats? "Listen, the one thing Brian Cody said to us at the start of the year were that the last two years were the last two years," said DJ Carey afterwards.
"And that if anybody wanted to stay in the past and think about those two, they couldn't stay on the panel. If you want to think about this year and the future, there was a place on the panel.
"That is what is driving it on. There will be motivation from last year. But this is the year 2000 and we are doing our best to win it."
And how. At half-time yesterday, Galway were entitled to feel they were moving towards their first All-Ireland final since 1993. The midfield partnership of Rory Gantley and Alan Kerins was running white-hot, Kerins cracking over four fine points from play.
The fear was that Kilkenny would burn them with goals and even when Andy Comerford sauntered through for an early gift, Galway hurled on with maturity. Then came the restart. Three minutes in and Carey got the ball and turned in a blur and, as he raised the wand, a frisson bolted through the house and then the net behind Michael Crimmins was trembling and DJ had that gloved fist raised.
"Look," said John Power, with the patient grin of a schoolmaster who has explained this more than once. "We can say this, that and the other about him (DJ). He's magic, that's the thing. We had to wait for the moment of magic there, but it always seems to come and fair play to him, he took us out of a rut today and led the way."
And when his team-mates saw the light, they fairly sang. Henry Shefflin fired seven points, three from play, eclipsed only by the spectacular shooting of Byrne. Kilkenny eased smoothly ahead and beyond the westerners . . . six, seven, eight points.
The tautness seeped from the game and before the final whistle, we pondered, after all the fire in Munster, another all Leinster pairing.
"Well, there was all sort of back doors and escape routes up to now, but this was the real thing, a semi-final. It's terrific not to have lost it," said Cody afterwards.
Galway could agree with that. Mattie Murphy's men were brave and gallant and out-played. Luckless, too. Eugene Cloonan mis-directed the kind of goal shot he has been nailing since he was 10 Kevin Broderick saw another shot thunder off the post and young David Tierney's follow-up was denied brilliantly by Kilkenny 'keeper James McGarry.
Such is the sport. It all amounted to Galway's first defeat in over 12 months. They have journeyed well under Murphy, but now find themselves at a crossing point.
"Oh, I don't know, my terms of reference are up, so I'll see. I don't know what I'd like right now," says the manager, tired and accepting in the end.
Some games just go against you. A day earlier, in extraordinary circumstances, Tom Carr had stood not 20 yards from where Murphy spoke, voicing similar thoughts. Ashen and honourable, the Dublin manager had watched his team crumble from a position of great promise, losing the Leinster final replay to Kildare. Afterwards, he was uncertain as to what lay ahead.
"I don't know what we have left to offer. We have put an awful lot of work in over the past three years and we have scoured the county to build this team. I think everyone knows that. As for me, I'm still getting over it myself at the minute. There is no explaining it. It is as difficult to understand as it is to explain."
Words that ring hurtful and true on all championship days.
