As is often the case at Pearse Stadium in Salthill, the weather can play puck.
The elements certainly contributed to a game that won't feature in the end-of-year showreel as Galway and Roscommon played out a draw in the Connacht football final.
The sides will do it all again at McHale Park, this coming Sunday at 3.30pm (live on RTÉ Player, the RTÉ Sport website and GAAGO).
There are those, however, who refuse to put the blame on whatever cold or warm front is coming in off the Atlantic and the effects it may have.
They will talk about packed defences, endless handpassing (tally reached over 400 last Sunday) and the failure of players to do what should come natural to them - that is kick the ball over the bar when the situation presents itself - as the main reasons why the contest for this year's Nestor Cup fell way below expectations.
Roscommon, you would have to say, were most gripped by fear when it came to taking responsibility in the drawn game. At times they appeared clueless as to how unlock the Galway defence and their two-man full-forward line of Enda Smith and Cathal Compton were largely ineffective, despite Smith grabbing the Rossies' goal in the first half.
At the end of the 70 minutes, however, you would have to say that the outfit managed by Kevin McStay and Fergal O'Donnell were probably the happier. They will take heart from the way they hung on, kicking the last two points of the game to ensure parity, courtesy of Cathal Cregg and sub Donie Smith.
Galway made better use of the elements last weekend and, more often than not, worked the ball intelligently into scoreable positions. When they went 0-13 to 1-08 up, after an exquisite point from Adrian Varley, you would have fancied them to finish the job from there. Yet, they failed to do it.
Many pundits have written about the fear factor when analysing the drawn encounter. The vast majority of players on view were playing in their first Connacht final and the conditions, in spite of what many of the armchair experts might say, were diabolical on the day.
According to RTÉ analyst John Casey, the players "should be cut some slack" with regard to their efforts, but he did add that many teams "concentrate too much on the opposition" rather than focusing on how they can fully expresses themselves.
There are many fine footballers in both the Galway and Roscommon squads, and quite a few will feel that they didn't do themselves justice the last day.Their chance for atonement beckons - the chance to win silverware and a date at Croke Park in a fortnight's time.
Weather conditions are set to be more favourable this Sunday afternoon in Castlebar.
"A drier sod will suit Roscommon," says Casey.
The former Mayo player tipped the Rossies to prevail at the first time of asking and he's sticking with them to win a first Connacht crown since 2010.
"I expect more from their forwards and they have a great scoring threat to call on from the bench," he revealed to RTÉ Sport.
"In the drawn game, they had a greater spread of scorers and when they did decide to kick long with the wind the last day, they got some fine points."
In looking ahead to the replay, former Armagh player Oisín McConville told RTÉ Sport: "You know what Galway are going to bring to the table. There is a real structure about them and they are very, very difficult to break down.
"If Roscommon are going to do any better this weekend, they will need to mix it up a bit more"
"I think they'll be happy with the way played in the drawn game, but I think they'll look back with some regret with some of the chances they failed to create late on."
As for Roscommon, the Crossmaglen man added: "Roscommon will have to bring something different to the table. In the early stages of the league, they had a great blend, were able to run the ball and had a target man at the edge of the square. Last weekend, they had no target man at the edge of the square.
"Senan Kilbride came on the last day and, okay they didn't kick a lot of ball into him, but they are a different proposition with him in the team because he gives them a bit of an outlet ball.
"If Roscommon are going to do any better this weekend, they will need to mix it up a bit more - running the ball continuously into a line of Galway defenders just doesn't work unless you are doing it with a little bit of pace."
Indeed, McConville picked out something from last weekend's stalemate that sums up the point made earlier on the paralysis that engulfs some teams.
"There were 30 seconds left in the game and Roscommon had an opportunity to kick a score. However, they seemed tied up in themselves in that there is a Connacht title at stake. Nobody wanted to take a pot shot, nobody wanted to be a hero.
"That has to change on Sunday. Somebody is to have a go."
We await to see what heroes, if any will emerge in Mayo's county town come Sunday evening.
As was the case in the 1998 Connacht final replay between the sides, Sunday's game should a be a tight affair.
That coming together from 18 summers ago was a pulsating encounter that had everything from sublime long range scores, and many tired limbs at the end. After extra-time it was Galway who edge out their neighbours.
Come the last Sunday of September, the Tribesmen were All-Ireland champions.
History is unlikely to repeat itself with regard to where Sam Maguire will reside come the fall of this year, but both Galway and Roscommon will be looking to bolster their progress and get a chance to mix it with big guns come August.
Watch live coverage of Roscommon v Galway on the RTÉ Player and the RTÉ Sport website from 3.25pm. Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 will have updates from Castlebar, while Des Cahill and guests will have highlights on the Sunday Game that evening at 9.30pm on RTÉ2.
