Westmeath midfielder Ray Connellan joked that he could now retire a happy man after Westmeath's Leinster final triumph over Dublin at Croke Park on Sunday.
It is only the Lake County's second ever provincial title, and they needed extra-time to do it after a late Dublin surge forced the game into overtime.
Connellan's side reasserted their dominance in the added 20-minute perioid however, and ran on to complete a famous win over Ger Brennan's Dublin side.
Westmeath's last Leinster title came in 2004 under the late, great Paidí Ó Sé and the players who made that breakthrough 22 years ago were on the minds of the young men they inspired to replicate their feat this time around.
"I remember running out onto the pitch here myself, one of the boys," Connellan recalled of the 2004 win when chatting on RTÉ's Sunday Sport after the game. "We were using our shoes and kicking them over the bar. I remember it very, very well. And full circle today to come back here now.
"I'm 31 this year, I've nearly retired I don't know how many times. People are probably sick of hearing me telling you I'm retired.
"If this is my last year, I will be very, very, very happy."
As Westmeath drove home their advantage late in the game having dominated the midfield contests, Athlone man Connellan recognised that, while Dublin have maybe been to the well too many times, hunger proved a great sauce for the Lakemen.
"We saw our opportunities. We knew then 'right, this game is there for us'. We completely dominated midfield in terms of breaking ball, and I think there was potentially a bit of a hunger in us," Connellan said.
"Dublin have been there. They've won a lot. We're coming very hungry into that game, and I think that's probably what just edged it, that little middle-ground battle."
Senan Baker, a 43rd-minute replacement for Shane Corcoran, helped himself to four points during his stint and was instrumental in forcing the game to extra-time with a late score to peg Dublin back after Davey Byrne had given the Boys in Blue an unlikely lead.
Baker's brother, Tadhg, lined out at wing-back for Westmeath. Their father Ollie famously won two All-Ireland hurling titles with Clare in the Ger Loughnane-led 90s.
"We're over the moon, like, over the moon, you know? Every lad there, he's out on his feet out on the pitch there. Just trying to do whatever we can for the last five minutes," Senan told RTÉ Sport.
"We were kinda hanging on there, just running around, chasing the ball like headless chickens, but thankfully we just got away.
"The management team are unbelievable the way they can dissect a team, and they can set us up on what we have to do to get the job done.
"It's up to us as the players then, they hand it over to us to see what we can do out on the pitch. If we can follow that, you know, we won't be far off."
Baker managed to put aside the fact he wasn't selected to play from the start and came off the bench with energy, scoring on his first possesion.
"You're obviously disappointed not to be starting. Everyone loves to be starting, but you've got to do a job for the team when you come on then," he said.
"Whether that's kicking scores or blocking ball or, saving ball, running hard, everyone has a job to do when they come on, because the lads on the pitch do so well to begin and that's a hard slog. But it's all worth it in the end."
On winning a provincial title with his brother by his side, Baker beamed: "We grew up taking lumps out of each other in the backyard. To go out and do it in Croke Park then, that's exactly what football is all about."
John Heslin came out of retirement in recent weeks to aid Westmeath's push for the Leinster crown. He was introduced just after ths hour mark and contributed 0-03 - including a two-pointer that put plenty of breathing space between his team and the Dubs.
Afterwards, he took a moment to acknowledge the squad members who didn't make it to Croke Park for the biggest game of the season.
"I was fortunate, and we had a lot of unfortunate lads that got injured. I'm thinking of Luke Loughlin and Johnny Lynham, who had big injuries. And if they didn't get injured, I wouldn't be here today. That's the reality," Heslin said.
"I'm just in a very privileged position. The county asked me would I come back in, and can I give whatever that may be today, whether that be just chat to the lads and get them going or play on the pitch. That was what I did today, and I'm just delighted."
When asked when the bat signal was actually sent up to call him back to the county fold, Heslin did his best to be coy.
"I don't know, actually. I'll have to ask [manager] Mark [McHugh] what we're allowed to say - 10 days, two weeks ago, maybe around then. And look, we've been probably chatting all year. Just dropping a text, trying to tease me a bit. I'm just delighted to be here. It's, it's unbelievable.
"It's what I trained for all my life. The Westmeath team in '04, I was a kid, and they were my heroes. Still are my heroes. They motivated me my whole career, and I'm just over the moon to have been part of this team.
"I fully believe those lads would've won it if I wasn't there today as well. Of course they would've. That's why I came in, because I was just there to support them. I was asked to come on for a few minutes today and did that. But they're a super bunch of players. Fast, great, dedicated lads - and I'm delighted for them."
