The 2024 All-Ireland final won't rank high in the all-time list but it provided one hell of an emotional crescendo.
Firstly, it's an incredible achievement for Kieran McGeeney and his players after enduring so many setbacks and so much criticism that they now find themselves top of the pile.
There's enough documented evidence in black and white in this column over the past four months - and longer - that I didn't fancy Armagh as All-Ireland contenders.
But then I was in good company, given the road signs that sprang up outside the manager's house after last year's championship exit and the fact that some clubs up there mounted an attempt to unseat him at the county board.
I had thought the Ulster title was probably their most realistic shot at silverware and the summit of their ambition.
McGeeney looked almost like a broken man when shaking hands with Jim McGuinness after that latest penalty shootout loss in the Ulster final.
We wondered at the time how would they have the stomach to recover from that. But it was almost like they were immune from pain at that stage. What was it Geezer said at the post-match press conference? Sometimes, your strongest steel is forged in fire.
Who knows what he said to them in that near 25-minute long half-time team talk in Markievicz Park? I'm sure the county board consider the fine cheap at the price this week.
The quarter-final win over Roscommon wouldn't have convinced many onlookers that they were witnessing the All-Ireland champions-in-waiting (and it was massively overshadowed by events later that afternoon). But there was a sense that some of the baggage had been lifted.
They had endured so much trauma at the quarter-final stage in the previous two years that a victory that day marked clear progress, regardless of what happened after. From then on, it was as if they played with no fear and a sense of freedom.
Once they took out Kerry, the whole county was coursing with belief. Beforehand, we thought that Galway probably had superior players but that Armagh's hard-edged mentality would keep them right there.
And here they are. No All-Ireland semi-final appearance since 2005 and now champions of the whole lot. McGeeney has three trophies as a senior inter-county manager. The first two were both Division 3 leagues won three years apart. The next one is Sam Maguire.
The game in general was another shot in the arm for Jim Gavin's committee. After the frenzied atmosphere at the start, the whole stadium settled into a lull from the first play, with both teams sitting in deep packed defences (Armagh especially), while the forwards on either side were completely smothered - Conor Turbitt and Damien Comer at either end of the pitch struggled to make an impact.
The most reliable scoring threat came from the middle third and even the defence - Barry McCambridge and Aidan Forker landed scores for Armagh; Paul Conroy, Céin D'Arcy, John Maher and Liam Silke accounted for 0-08 of Galway's 13 points.
In this respect it was a very fitting conclusion to the 2024 season, where some of the best forwards in the game have been crowded out and heavily shackled.
In the end, Armagh's bench strength was a key factor. When Rob Finnerty was forced off early, Johnny Heaney came in but struggled to influence the game. Sean Kelly was sent for in the second half but still doesn't look like he's moving freely.
Compare that to the impact Armagh got from their subs - 'Soupie' Campbell setting up the goal in his first involvement (deliberate, I reckon) and Oisín O'Neill landing a massive score at a vital moment in the second half.
They fell over the line in the end. We saw some echoes of Armagh's Ulster final fadeout in the final few minutes as they became more and more hemmed in with the finish line in sight, allowing Galway several chances to find a leveller.
However, too many Galway shooters were overcome by the jitters on the biggest day and Armagh were let off the hook.
Naturally, there's a degree of relief down in Mayo at the outcome - no point in denying it. But speaking personally, I know, all too well, how the Galway players are feeling this week.
As Dublin fans, and indeed Galway fans, are quick to remind me, I had plenty of experience.
I saw they were summoned to a homecoming in Tuam Stadium, which sounds like needless torture in the circumstances. Comer, in one photo, looked like he'd rather have been anywhere else and I'm sure he wasn't alone.
The accepted protocol is drink for the week until someone from the club comes calling, telling you to get yourself in gear. In Galway, at least they have the Races to distract them for the next week.
The forwards will obviously cop the flak for the defeat. Thirteen scores from 25 shots is an awful return and there was a sense that the injuries that had dogged them all year were finally too much to overcome.
Shane Walsh had a day of days in the final two years ago but endured a horrible afternoon last Sunday. He'll want to forget it even if we're hearing that social media trolls are determined not to let him.
Comer again struggled to influence the game and cut a frustrated figure - though his shot in the first half that was ruled out by Hawk-Eye looked good from our angle down in that Canal End/ Hogan Stand corner.
The final has, from our perspective, some echoes of 2021. Like Mayo three years ago, Galway had beaten Dublin and pitched up in the final probably believing their time had come. And things just fell flat on the day. And against Ulster opposition, as well.
We've seen that WhatsApp message doing the rounds listing out the major titles the province has won this year - aka, all of them. Ulster teams seem to bring a ferocity and a siege mentality to All-Ireland finals which makes them a dangerous beast. Something for Connacht teams to ponder given our fairly sobering record in deciders.
And that's a wrap for 2024. All that's left from a men's inter-county perspective are the All-Stars and the Footballer of the Year.
For me, the strongest two candidates for the latter are Barry McCambridge, a revelation in defence for Armagh, and John Maher, a tower of strength around the middle for Galway.
Forwards need not apply this year.
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