There's little time for Mayo to bask in a win over the neighbours with another seismic game against our modern foes looming.
Let me declare at an early stage that Mayo will go in as underdogs despite their massive preliminary quarter-final victory and Dublin's relatively low-key run to this stage.
The tension in Salthill last weekend was unbearable because there was so much on the line. Goals were decisive in three of the four preliminary quarter-finals and what a beautiful one to win it for Mayo.
There was a lot of worry about the functioning of our forward line in the aftermath of the Cork game but trust the old reliable full-back to canter forward and get the only goal after giving the keeper the eyes, a wonderfully cool finish from David McBrien.
While the goal was crucial in the outcome, the stand-out moment from the match came in the first half when Paddy Durcan raced back to prevent Matthew Tierney steaming in to rattle a goal for Galway.
If Paddy doesn't make that ground up, it's a two-on-one situation and a likely goal. But Durcan got back, Mattie was forced into an early shot and it flew over the bar. At the time, it probably felt alright for the Tribesmen, another point, keep the scoreboard ticking over.
But looked at overall, it was a massive moment in the context of the game.
While the result was everything, Mayo have plenty of scope for improvement. They dominated the third quarter, in which they made the crucial winning burst, but the last 15 minutes were a bit messy in places and they didn't finish the game as impressively as they would have liked.
Factor in the loss of Damien Comer, Sean Kelly operating at 30% capacity and the off-day for Shane Walsh and a one-point win doesn't look too hot. But ultimately those are just details, winning is all that matters.
There are big question marks hovering over both teams on Sunday. You can examine it one or two ways. How fatigued will Mayo be given that this is their third weekend on the trot? The last time Mayo beat Galway in a big game - the league final - they were out six days later and... let's just say it didn't go to plan.
On the other hand, have the current Dublin team been road-tested enough this season?
They've only played one game against Division 1 opposition in 2023 and hardly set the world alight. Like most on the outside, I'm struggling to get a read on Dublin. They're an enigma.
Occasionally, they look like a slick machine of old. Then, at times they look ponderous and lacking in spark. No doubt the sight of a Mayo jersey will get their competitive juices flowing, particularly among the veterans of the 2010s games. It could be just what they needed to rise their energy levels. I doubt we'll see the standoffish team we did against Roscommon.
The biggest difference between the late era Dubs, 2021 onwards, and peak Dubs was the strength of their bench. Back in 2016-19, their bench was stacked with All-Stars, multiple All-Ireland winners, former Footballers of the Year.
In the 2016-17 finals, we knew we were right there but their cavalry coming off the bench was too much. Cormac Costello came off the bench in the 2016 replay, kicked three points in the final quarter. Diarmuid Connolly was sprung at half-time in 2017, had a huge second half. Meanwhile, we were fatiguing in the last 10 minutes.
By 2021, they didn't have the same weaponry to call upon late on. There was a lot of newbies. Decent players but not the same intimidation factor.
While the Dubs were off the pace throughout that year, the game was a bit of a watershed for Mayo. We trailed 0-10 to 0-04 at the break and the message at half-time was that we were paying them far too much respect. We allowed them to dictate the game and play at their own pace. In the second half, we pushed up, hassled them aggressively and in the frenzy, we suddenly found that they had no answer that evening.
And it holds true, still. Mayo are at their best when they whip up that storm and play with high energy, as they did in the third quarter on Sunday.
But Kevin McStay will have concerns, notably around kickouts.
If Dublin review that first half in Pearse Stadium, you wonder will they be inclined to put a huge press on. The Salthill wind was a big factor but either way, if Dublin push up, it'll really test Colm Reape. He's a superb keeper, player of the match in the league final, but his deliveries will have to be pinpoint the next day. It'll be a real test of the variety of kicks, can he go long, can he go short?
The Mayo management have been daring in their selection calls so far. I'd expect Matty Ruane to return to the fray on the weekend. The word down here is there was no question of injury ruling him out the last day, it was a straightforward selection call. You'd imagine he'll be frothing at the mouth in training this week to try get back into the starting team for Sunday.
I'd also love to see Enda Hession starting for Mayo - he was a big catalyst in our comeback in 2021 - he adds that directness and energy that the team thrive on.
And I'd leave Kev Mc (Kevin McLoughlin to the lay readers) in. He did really well when recalled at the weekend, notwithstanding that skied shot at the start of the second half which we'll not mention again.
Based on Sam Callinan's marking job on Shane Walsh, he's the ideal candidate to tag Con O'Callaghan. Paddy Durcan has done well on Ciarán Kilkenny, recently so I expect they'll go there again.
Tyrone were no doubt delighted to pull Kerry in the draw. Nothing seems to excite them more.
Their form has been a puzzler throughout the year. They nearly fell through the trapdoor against Westmeath. With their mindset, they seem to thrive on knockout games against big-time opposition. A few points up in the Westmeath game and you got the sense they almost checked out a bit. No chance of that happening from here.
After their win on Saturday, I posed the question - are Tyrone finding their form at the right time? Now, people can say that Donegal were poor. Which they were.
But Tyrone looked all business. Their attack looks very potent. How do you go about stopping their inside line - Darren McCurry, Ruairí Canavan and Darragh Canavan, the latter in particular absolutely tearing it up. Then you look at Mattie Donnelly, scored three points at the weekend, including one beautiful swerved score. Michael McKernan galloped forward and got two from corner back.
On the evidence of this year, they might have the edge in midfield, where Brian Kennedy and Conn Kilpatrick have looked one of the strongest pairings while Kerry have been vulnerable in that area since the departure of David Moran.
I think they're in a good position. Their Achilles heel is their bench and the mass exodus since the 2021 final can't have helped.
On the basis of that - and the Clifford factor - I'll tentatively give the nod to Kerry, though not without a struggle.
For me, the only clearcut one is Derry-Cork. John Cleary's team have come on tremendously in 2023 though they're taking a perfectly tuned machine in Derry and I don't think they have the firepower up front to take them down.
Armagh-Monaghan, meanwhile, is close to a 50:50. If pushed, I'd give Armagh the edge but you couldn't be one bit surprised if Monaghan, dogged as ever, pull it out of the fire. Let the colosseum on Jones' Road ignite the games.
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