Defending Champions Limerick lock horns with perennial powerhouse Kilkenny in Sunday's (July 23) All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final at Croke Park.
In a repeat of last year's showpiece - one in which the Treaty men prevailed by a margin of two points - John Kiley is aiming for a historic four-in-a-row.
Astonishingly, this will be the first Kilkenny side without Brian Cody as a manager in 24 seasons at HQ.
His successor, Derek Lyng, aims to create his piece of history, and after a promising 2023, few would write him off.
?| Anticipation is building for the @officialgaa #allireland final meeting between @KilkennyCLG and @LimerickCLG https://t.co/OjmgcjSY1M#Hurling | #DerekLyng
— Beat 102 103 (@beat102103) July 13, 2023
Shaun Connolly caught up with John Knox, the legendary former Kilkenny People Sports editor, to gather his thoughts ahead of another final appearance.
"There would be a surprise in certain elements, but it's not surprising at the level of shock," he said concerning an immediate return to Croke Park under Lyng.
"This is a county - call it arrogance, or call it belief or what you like - but there will always be hope.
"Derek and his team picked up the ball from Brian Cody and ran very strong with it.
"They got to a League final, okay they took a bit of a pasting, but I thought that was a good achievement."
?️| Listen back to the latest episode of SportsBeat Xtra with @shaunconnolly85 - https://t.co/PaAWIiEC1z
Shaun chats with @RonanTheGreek about the brilliant @YouthsWomen.
He also speaks with John Knox ahead of @KilkennyCLG #allireland Final clash with Limerick.#Sportsbeat
— Beat 102 103 (@beat102103) July 18, 2023
Following the League final appearance, Lyng set his sights on Leinster and captured a magnificent 75th Provincial Senior Hurling Championship.
The manner of victory was as splendid as the celebrations afterwards, and John feels this will aid the side in life after their historic manager.
"Once they won that match - I thought yeah! This is good. The pressure is off now!" he said.
"People don't need to look back now in longing for Brian. His legacy is there and can never be forgotten."
He added: "Once the new group won a title - the monkey was off their back.
"When they won the Leinster Final, that was it - all bets were open, and anything can happen."
And then there were two...@KilkennyCLG vs @LimerickCLG who will walk the steps to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 5 days' time? pic.twitter.com/dcJ5foXX25
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 18, 2023
In this new-look Kilkenny, there are many similarities to the great sides of the past.
The Cats are a side famed for their work rate and physicality, but in 2023 they are highlighting several different characteristics under the management team.
"Derek's team, I thought the way they played against Clare, they brought a little bit more forward," John said when speaking about their playing style.
"The intensity, hunting of the pack and the chasing is there.
"But now, Kilkenny are more at ease playing the running game - taking the ball from the defence.
"They mix it up a little more than we have been over the last decade. I think they are more at ease playing it now.
"I think they know what they want to do, and the game is more fluid."
All-Ireland week, Flags are up!@KilkennyCLG @kia_ireland pic.twitter.com/wpAVmCr12x
— David Buggy Motors (@DavidBuggyMotor) July 17, 2023
It comes as little surprise that TJ Reid has again dominated throughout the campaign.
In a similar feel to many tears gone by, he will be a predominant figure at Croke Park on Sunday - despite his growing years.
"TJ is an elite sportsman," John said.
"He approaches his hurling and his lifestyle as an elite sportsman.
"He is not a genius by accident; he is a genius by work - by thinking about the game, by working on the game and by shaping his life around the game."
For Derek Lyng, Sunday presents an opportunity to cultivate his standard and derail a side striving for the ultimate legacy.
Limerick will contest their fifth final in six seasons, having last reached four successive All-Ireland finals in 1936.
They were victorious in 1934 and 1936, losing out in the 1933 and 1935 showpieces.
Kilkenny was last to achieve that in 2006-09. Before that, only Cork in 1941-44 had won the magnificent four-in-a-row.
The Throw-In Hurling podcast: John Mullane and Eddie Brennan on that save by Eoin Murphy in yesterday's All-Ireland SHC semi-final, plus they discuss whether Kilkenny can now stop Limerick's 4-in-a-row bid?
Listen & follow on Apple or Spotify: https://t.co/kFcQ2t8MSX pic.twitter.com/wE5vHBN5Qg— Independent Sport (@IndoSport) July 10, 2023
Lyng's County has not lifted Liam MacCarthy since 2015 - a sentence I could never imagine myself composing.
That said, how poetic would it be for the black and amber to regain their crown in the debut season of the great man's pupil?
Listen back to the full chat on SportsBeat Xtra here.
Keep up to date with all the latest sports news on our website beat102103.com.
