The various county finals have thrown up more than a few headlines and no less shocks during the month of October.
In Cavan, Kingscourt Stars provided an upset of sorts when defeating Gowna in the football decider. Nine points was the margin in the end, a marked contrast to when the sides met in the 2023 final and Gowna's 17-point victory.
Jordan Morris kicked 0-09 and was at the heart of what made Kingscourt Stars tick as the club won a 12th county title, and a first since 2015.
A decade ago and in 2010 for the club's previous successes, Morris's grandfather Jim McGovern, the former club chairperson, drove the bus as the players and backroom teams received the adulation. On board was a star-struck youngster, who hoped that one day he too would deliver something special for the people of Kingscourt, his place of birth.
Across the border is Meath and for a time Morris played his club football there, lining out for Nobber, while also embarking on an inter-county career with the Royals. In 2022 he sought a transfer back to his home club, for whom he played underage. The move was accepted, though Morris's inter-county commitments firmly remain with those playing in a green jersey.
A stellar year on the pitch for the 25-year-old has now yielded silverware. Morris reflects on a "sweet achievement" at Kingspan Breffni on 12 October, when speaking at the launch of the AIB GAA Club Championships.
"Pádraig Faulkner (midfielder) was saying in the lead up to it that it would be the best week of your life if you win it. It definitely was. Seeing the crowds in Kingscourt and the community coming out in force was just unbelievable.
"I was on the bus in 2010 and 2015. Stuff you dream about. We had to write a few wrongs from the 2023 final, to get the monkey off our back and that was probably on our minds a bit too much last year when we didn't get to a quarter-final. We knew we had a challenge this year and that's what drove us on in the end."
Back in March after sustaining a fractured tibia and grade two tears in his ACL and PCL knee ligaments during a league game against Louth, Morris feared his season would be over. Through careful rehab he recovered sufficiently to take his place on the Meath team that reached the Leinster final. And while defeat was their lot against the Wee County, Robbie Brennan's side would subsequently go on a run that would take them to an All-Ireland semi-final.
En route, Kerry and Galway were accounted for, no denying that Meath were not worthy of that last-four spot. A signal of their intent was evident on the day Dublin were knocked off their perch in Leinster.
"The emotion on the pitch that day was unreal to see," said Morris, as he reflected on Meath's first championship win against the Dubs in 15 years.
A case then of a once revered group finding its voice again.
"Attendances went through the roof after that game. Meath fans have been waiting to support a team and this year we gave them something to cheer about. But we don't want to be a flash in the pan. We have a lot of work ahead of us to build on what was a good year. Our supporters, quite rightly, now expect more."
Meath's rise in 2025 can be attributed to a more forensic analysis of the opposition.
On more than a few occasions it delivered positive outcomes, with All-Star nominee Morris stating: "The way we analysed teams this year was so in-depth, looking at kick-outs and attacking set-ups. It paid dividends for us as we didn't use that in years gone by, all that player analysis. All that helped us in beating the likes of Kerry, Dublin and Galway, that player-led analysis.
"Even against Gowna, we studied their kickouts, giving us a platform for what we could do."
In just over a fortnight's time, Kingscourt take on either Derrygonnelly or Erne Gaels in the Ulster quarter-final, with Morris admitting that club are in "bonus territory". That said in a year of shocks, who knows how far the journey will last
As for the player who came back, he is "well used to the heavy hitting in Cavan football" but also revelling in the freedom that forwards now have to express themselves as a result of the new playing rules.
"It's so enjoyable; you're going into games and you know you are going to get scores out of it.
"It's what people want to see. That's Gaelic football, taking on your man and getting scores, watching high fielding. As a forward you were up against these blanket defences, touching the ball three or four times and you were asking yourself what is the point of this? It's now completely flipped on its head."
Watch the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship final, Na Fianna v Lucan Sarsfields, on Saturday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
