Cork are just one game away from ending their All-Ireland drought, with the Rebel County halting Limerick's drive for five after a thrilling contest at Croke Park this afternoon.
It was an astonishing game of hurling, one featuring two top class teams. Limerick more than played their part, producing some wonderful scores a producing a late comeback to ensure that the contest would go right down to the wire.
In saying that, this match was all about Cork.
Their performance was absolutely incredible, showing a frightening degree of ferocity right from the very first whistle. Their opponents managed to live with that during the opening half, but it was a very different story after the interval.
Cork would streak in front of the back of some spectacular play, at one stage leading by seven points. While that lead would be chipped away in the closing stages, Pat Ryan's side were not to be denied.
READ HERE: Pat Ryan's Response To Five-In-A-Row Question Sums Up Cork Mindset
Liam Sheedy cracks Tipperary joke about Cork All-Ireland berth
Cork may now be just 70 minutes away from listing the Liam MacCarthy, but it is easy to forget that they were on the verge of being eliminated from the championship only a few short weeks ago.
They lost their first two games of the Munster round robin, before producing a late shock victory over Limerick at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. They would go on to beat Tipperary in their next game, but even then they relied on results elsewhere in order to advance to the All-Ireland series.
Waterford, in particular, will feel they should have finished ahead of Cork, with Davy Fitzgerald's side giving up a couple of late leads as they were eliminated at the provincial stage. That included conceding 1-1 in stoppage time to draw at home to Tipperary, a fact Liam Cahill was quick to remind the Rebels of today.
Speaking on RTÉ after the game, he joked that Cork had Tipp to thank for their All-Ireland final berth on the back of that result. He would go on to hammer home how important it was to get the mental preparation right ahead of that game.
I think they can thank Tipperary for that 1-1 down in the last minute Walsh Park!
That 1-1 is the reason that Cork are in the All-Ireland final...
Ultimately, the next two weeks is about the shoulders up. There is nothing you are going to do for your physical preparation...
The danger with All-Ireland finals is that you're going to have massive Cork crowds and all of a sudden, it's an occasion. It's not, it's a game where you've got to bring your best performance of the year.
The energy that Clare got from yesterday's performance and the relief they had at that final whistle, I said 'my god, they are going to come with something'.
I think we're set up for a massive final. Finals take on a different slant and the next two weeks are really important to get everything right from the shoulders up.
This will certainly be a huge occasion for Cork, although they showed today that they are unlikely to be overawed by what is to come in a couple of weeks.
Here's hoping for another top class game of hurling to decide this year's All-Ireland winners.
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