And then there were two. After a pulsating summer, it's Galway and Waterford at Croke Park for the Liam MacCarthy, two counties ravenously hungry to lift the big one and end waits of 29 and 58 years respectively. 

Michael Duignan, a two-time All-Ireland SHC winner with Offaly, looked ahead to Sunday's mouthwatering contest when speaking to RTÉ Sport's Pauric Lodge on Morning Ireland. 

"Every year the All-Ireland is huge, but there is something different this year.

"There's been such a wait for both counties. In the build-up to a final, a lot of people might not realise it, but for these players, from the time they were six, seven, eight years of age when they picked up a hurl and went up to the pitch for the first time, this is what they've dreamed about: winning an All-Ireland.

"They're representing those team-mates, their neighbours, their friends, their families.

"All that is going through their heads and it's that element of handling that pressure and that build-up which is unpredictable. They're all super players, but it's about trying to handle all that goes with it.

"That time from 3.30pm to 5.05pm can fly. It can be the best experience of your life or it can be the worst. I know all about it from both sides.

"For whoever wins it it's going to be one of the most emotional days. But for whoever loses it, it's always disappointing, but I think it's going to be really, really disappointing to get so close after so long.

"Johnny Glynn is the one I've been watching. He's been away in America. When he came back he got injured and was out of action for a couple of months but I thought he made a big impact against Tipperary. He takes an awful lot of watching. Whether Galway start him or not... it's a big call. I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

"Outside of that, I can't see an awful lot of changes. For Waterford, with Conor Gleeson out now, Tadgh de Burca will come back in and Kieran Bennett will hold his spot.

"I think that Micheál Donoghue has had the opportunity to watch Waterford evolve as a team.

"I've been critical of the sweeper system but Waterford have brought their game, their attacking game, to another level. Micheál has had the advantage of being able to stand up and look at that, get his match-ups.

"He knows what's coming.

"Waterford have been brilliant but maybe their style of play has become somewhat predictable.

"Physically Galway can match Waterford where Cork couldn't the last day. At the end of the day Galway might just have a little bit more scoring power up front, a little bit more range to their scorers.

"I tip Galway to win an All-Ireland."

Verdict: Galway