Two-time All-Ireland winner Paul Clancy suggests that comparing the spectacle of football and hurling is a fruitless endeavour as they're very different games, but he's hoping Galway and Armagh serve up a rip-roaring contest on Sunday afternoon.
Last weekend's All-Ireland hurling decider proved to be a modern classic as Clare landed just their fifth ever title against a Cork side who were looking to bring 19 years of hurt to an end.
After a period of different winners every year between 2010 and 2014, football settled in a period of relative repetition for the next near decade with Dublin (7), Kerry and Tyrone lifting the Sam Maguire since.
The 1990s saw Donegal and Derry win their first All-Irelands, while Cork, Dublin, Meath, Down and Kerry also got in on the act before Clancy's iconic Galway team arrived under the late John O'Mahony towards the end of the decade.
Two All-Irelands in four seasons were followed by Armagh claiming their first - and to date only - All-Ireland but since then both counties have fallen back into the pack. As such, it's a rare chance to be crowned champions of Ireland for both counties.
For the neutral however, there's the hope that the big ball can stand up for itself against the splendour of what the Banner and the Rebels served up.
"Comparing football and hurling is unfair, they're completely different types of games," Clancy points out at the launch of the AIB Volunteer VIP competition.
"Sometimes they get put in the same [conversation]. The entertainment value on the hurling final was just off the charts. The slower build up of the defence in football can get a bad rap but I think on its own merits the football championship has been very entertaining.
"It has thrown up some really good games and Armagh and Galway will bring great colour to Croke Park at the weekend."
Pushed on what sort of game he's expecting, the two-time All-Ireland winner added: "The commentary around the semi-finals was that they might be very defensive but we saw a lot of good scores.
"The intensity in the Armagh-Kerry one was a notch or two above the Galway-Donegal one but I thought they were two excellent games and I'd be expecting more in the final.
"It's very hard to defend in Croke Park. It's one of those pitches that provides space and both teams can mix it. Armagh kicked the ball quite well when they had to against Kerry and turned them over and got some great scores.
"Galway can do something similar so I'm hoping for a really good game.
"And I think it's important to represent Gaelic football on its own merits and provide a good final. Following on from the hurling I think GAA games are both at a really high level.
"They players are putting in so much effort and their conditioning and skill level is so high that I'd like the footballers to follow on and show what they have at the weekend."
Clancy was on the pitch the last time Galway were crowned champions with victory over Meath 23 years ago.
Their return to the top table has taken a considerable period of time, with it taking longer than some in the west would have hoped to see their underage success of the last decade translate into senior competitiveness.
The experience of playing in the final two years ago will surely stand to the Galway group heading to Croke Park on Sunday, but it's the dogged determination they've shown this summer which has most impressed Clancy.
They were nearly shocked by Sligo in Connacht, before throwing away top spot in their group in the All-Ireland series with a late, mini-collapse against Sunday's opponents Armagh.
It meant no break before taking on Monaghan, with victory there setting up a clash with the defending champions. The Dubs looked to be in control when taking a four-point lead into half time, but Galway were able to find something and turn the game on its head.
Similarly against Donegal the last day, the Tribesmen had the answers in the last quarter to push on and win a game that was level on no fewer than 10 occasions over the 70 minutes.
"It's a great trait for them to have," Clancy says.
"They were nearly gone against Sligo. Damien Comer came on and turned over the ball and we got the goal. Even at half-time against Dublin it was hard to see where a performance was going to come out of.
"Then they seemed to find a series of passes and turnovers and it sparked them into life. They don't give up, they don't go away and it's testament to their fitness, conditioning and belief that they just stay going.
"They don't give up. They've even carried a lot of injuries over the year and they haven't complained at all. They've brought people in and got on and played the match. They've given us some great entertainment.
"That Mayo Connacht final was another massive day out. There was as commentary at the time that the provincial final didn't matter but there was nearly 30,000 in Pearse Stadium and it was a right dinger of a game.
"At times we questioned if we'd stay in the championship but here we are in the All-Ireland final."
Watch the All-Ireland Football Championship final, Armagh v Galway, on Sunday from 2.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
