Dublin's most recent loss to Tyrone came on a night of much reflection for the GAA. For many, January 31st 2009 was an opportunity to look back on how far Ireland's most unique sporting organistaion had come. From an age where Irish culture was under severe threat of assimilation to the point of disappearance – through it's many peaks, troughs and sub-renaissances - to the modern day, where Gaelic games can command an attendance and deliver a spectacle capable of outshining the Superbowl.

Despite the understood truths discussed above, the comparatively lustrous cheeks of the GAA as a whole will have been scant consolation to the Dublin panelists. Or many of the fans for that matter. The game, on this night of self-enjoyment, oscillated wildly. From the point where the Dubs looked as if they would suffer as grim a tanning as they had had in August, to the point where it seemed as if Dublin would finally put a top side to the sword in a high-profile duel.