Dublin are into another All-Ireland final after clinically smothering Tyrone at Croke Park.
The three in-a-row dream lives on for the Dubs and standing in their way again is Mayo - the team that has come closest to beating them in the last two seasons.
This will be their third Sam Maguire shootout in six seasons, having clashed in 2013 and 2016, and it will actually be their fifth Championship meeting inside 24 months after last year’s drawn and replayed final and 2015’s two-game semi-final saga.
Many people feel that Mayo have fate on their side having beaten Kerry on Saturday in what was their ninth game of the summer.
But the Dubs will be justifiable favourites following an efficient dismantling of Tyrone in the last four.
They got ahead in the third minute of the game and never looked back.
Cian O'Sullivan on overcoming Tyrone and his delight at reaching another All-Ireland final pic.twitter.com/lazo5d3cGK
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) August 27, 2017
Tyrone simply didn’t appear capable of reeling them back in because their game plan was based on containment and keeping the game tight.
They barely laid a glove on the Dubs and when three-time All-Ireland winner Sean Cavanagh was substituted on 54 minutes, likely bringing to an end one of the great inter-county careers, the former Footballer of the Year having said this was his last year at the top.
It was that kind of day for Tyrone.
The Dubs won by 12 in the end, but it could have been a far more handsome winning margin.
Second-half substitute Kevin McManamon nearly produced his trademark goal from the bench, but having sold half the defence for a dummy and with the keeper beaten, his shot hammered back into play off the crossbar.
Shortly after wing-back Jack McCaffrey stormed forward, was played into a one-on-one situation with keeper Niall Morgan, but his effort went high and wide.
One of the biggest cheers of the day was reserved for Diarmuid Connolly, who was introduced from the bench in the final minute of normal time having served the 12-week suspension he picked up for putting his hands on linesman Ciaran Branagan in the Leinster win over Carlow back in June.
The question asked before the game was, what are Tyrone going to do if they have to chase the game. The answer was simply - stick doggedly to the game plan.
So even when they were seven points down coming up to half-time, they went in trailing by 1-09 to 0-05 at the break, they kept 14 and sometimes even 15 men in their own half.
"I never believed that Mickey (Harte) is a tactical genius" - Joe Brolly has his say pic.twitter.com/DnJLGndYKd
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) August 27, 2017
The Red Hand got bodies behind the ball and tried to slow Dublin up.
This worked, but Dublin showed great patience in playing the ball in an arc just outside the scoring zone, 35 metres-or-so from from the goal as they probed for openings.
Before the half-hour the Hill were shouting ‘Olé’ at every pass during long periods of possession.
Brian Fenton showed one way of beating the blanket, the former Footballer of the Year hoisting over a tremendous long-range point on the run.
The Dubs decisive score was from another way of breaching a blanket defence - turn Tyrone over as they broke out from the back and hit them before they have a chance to reset.
Three minutes in the Ulster champions were working the ball out of defence from a short kick-out when they coughed up possession under pressure.
Blue jerseys immediate sprung into action and the ball was worked to Con O’Callaghan, who showed what a gem of a young footballer he is with a confident finish into the net past keeper Niall Morgan.
He had options left and right, but ignored them both and backed himself.
Con O'Callaghan with a superb goal sets Dublin on their way - get more reaction on @TheSundayGame on @RTE2 pic.twitter.com/nFieldtst0
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) August 27, 2017
The Cuala man, who has won an All-Ireland club hurling title and All-Ireland Under-21 football medal already this year, unleashed his shot from outside the 13-metre line and there was no stopping it.
This left three points between the teams and the gap quickly grew Tyrone didn’t seem to want to play and they kept their compact shape. When they occasionally got up as far as the Dublin half-back line, they were generally turned around.
They only scored three times from play in the first half, through Tiernan McCann, Colm Cavanagh and Peter Harte. Their other two points came form frees through Harte and Sean Cavanagh.
Tyrone put a few extra resources up front after the turn around, kicking into the Hill 16 end of the ground, but they were well bottled up by the defending All-Ireland champions, who were happy to sit back and absorb the pressure.
Substitute Eoghan O’Gara got their second goal late on and the losers couldn’t even find the net from the penalty spot, Stephen Cluxton stopping Harte’s effort in stoppage time.
They kept themselves at arms length by picking off occasional scores and it was more than adequate to book themselves into a fifth final in seven seasons.
Scorers for Dublin: Con O’Callaghan 1-02; Dean Rock 0-05, 4f; Eoghan O’Gara 1-01; Paul Flynn 0-03; Paddy Andrews 0-02; Ciaran Kilkenny, Brian Fenton, Jack McCaffrey, Paul Mannion 0-01 each
Scorers for Tyrone: Peter Harte 0-04, 3f; Niall Sudden, Colm Cavanagh 0-02 each; Tiernan McCann, Declan McClure 0-01 each, Sean Cavanagh 0-01, 1f.
Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; Jonny Cooper, Cian O’Sullivan, Michael Fitzsimons; John Small, Philip McMahon, Jack McCaffrey; Brian Fenton, James McCarthy; Niall Scully, Con O’Callaghan, Ciaran Kilkenny; Paul Mannion, Paddy Andrews, Dean Rock.
Subs: Paul Flynn for Niall Scully 44 mins; Kevin McManamon for Andrews 44 mins; Darren Daly for Small 52 mins; Eoghan O’Gara for Rock 63 mins; Eric Lowndes for Paul Mannion 65 mins; Diarmuid Connolly for O’Callaghan 69 mins.
Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Aidan McCrory, Ronan McNamee, Cathal McCarron; Tiernan McCann, Padraig Hampsey; Peter Harte; Colm Cavanagh, Conall McCann; David Mulgrew, Niall Sudden, Kieran McGeary; Mark Bradley, Sean Cavanagh, Matthew Donnelly.
Subs: Declan McClure for Conall McCann 29 mins; Rory Brennan for McGeary HT; Darren McCurry for Mulgrew 41 mins; Ronan O’Neill for Bradley 49 mins; Conor Meyler for Sean Cavanagh 54 mins; Padraig McNulty for McNamee 59 mins.
Referee: D Coldrick (Meath)
