Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s 2025 begins with an All-Ireland final before he takes the reins with Dublin.
Before Christmas, Na Fianna’s sharp shooter Colin Currie described his manager as ‘the busiest man’ he knows.
If the devil makes work of idle hands, the manager of the Leinster champions would have a swift, anxiety-free time in purgatory. Preparing his side for a mouth-watering clash with Sarsfields, perhaps less so.
Confidence is flowing from Cork hands into Cork hurls for the first time in a while, and that confidence suits those from The Rebel County like no other. They wear it well.
One of their band of brothers are the O’Sullivans, and captain Conor says Sars’ are ‘fortunate enough to be in it’ having lost the county final to Imokilly, a side who could not advance due to their status as an amalgamation.
But he remembers too a day where they lost to Imokilly by 20 points with the RTÉ cameras in town, describing those kinds of defeats as ‘soul-destroying’.
Equally though in an altogether different way the 2014 Munster defeat to Kilmallock by a point after extra-time. Sometimes these opportunities don’t come back around. Both sides will be all too wary of that.
But there’s the added magic that neither side has ever been here before. The boring pre-match analysis that centres on experience and playing the occasion etc is largely irrelevant. There’s a glorious freshness to this encounter.
Back-to-back champions in Dublin, Na Fianna ensured a repeat of their devastating Leinster final defeat to Kilkenny’s O’Loughlin Gaels would not happen again.
Dónal Burke was mesmeric against Offaly kingpins Kilcormac-Killoughey, before the aforementioned Currie fired his side towards the finishing line against Galway’s Loughrea.
On the topic of brothers, Colin’s sibling Seán has also impressed, but it is the former who is top-scorer across the competition.
Liam Rushe is another Ó Cellacháin can look toward, with the versatile Dub having made his senior intercounty debut in his final year of minor back in 2009.
The Glasnevin outfit could hardly have less distance to travel. Even for those not blessed with a vivid imagination, Croke Park is hardly more than a half hour stroll away, serving as a reminder of the old ‘so close, yet so far’.
Now they get their chance, entering as favourites.
But something suggests that it will ignite Sarsfields like it did against Ballygunner. They may not reach that level of performance again, but they might just edge this one.