The Cork v Tyrone fixture in the Football Championship has very little history. Two games, two All-Ireland semi-finals, two Cork victories.
Cork would go on to claim Sam Maguire in 1973 after a comfortable win over the Red Hand, while both sides would look back with regrets on the 2009 season.
Tyrone's bid for a fourth All-Ireland in six years came unstuck in a wholly disappointing manner before the Rebels would once again fall short against the old chestnut of Kerry in the final.
Saturday's qualifier is far removed from the box office clash nine years ago, where 53,492 paid in to watch the reigning All-Ireland champions take on the coming team at the time. Conor Counihan's side were Munster champions, having defeated the Kingdom, and the game was one of the most eagerly anticipated of the year.
Less than a decade later and a much smaller crowd is expected at O'Moore Park, where Ronan McCarthy is looking for a response to the drubbing at the hands of Kerry, while Mickey Harte will see further evidence of whether his team is developing into any semblance of an All-Ireland contender.
The loser will make an ignominious exit in the midlands, consigning 2018 to history, while the winners will look forward to Super 8 action against the likes of Donegal and Dublin in Group 2.
Back in 2009 the stakes were even higher. Tyrone's Philly Jordan and Cork defender Michael Shields remember a contrasting day at GAA Headquarters.
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According to former Cork manager Conor Counihan, there are few times in a managerial career where you are almost certain you will avoid defeat in the business end of the season.
One occasion he can recall vividly is the team meeting the night before the 2009 All-Ireland semi-final encounter with Tyrone.
Mickey Harte's side were the all-conquering team at the time and just two games away from a fourth All-Ireland in six years, but the Aghada man felt something stirring in his troops.
"That night we came out of the meeting and we knew something was different," he told RTÉ Sport. "During my managerial career, it was the one time I thought 'no matter what happens here', we are not going to be beaten."
That optimism was built on a physically imposing team, a settled lineup, the infusion of members of that year's Under-21 All-Ireland winners, and Munster silverware in the back pocket.
"All year we were playing fast, free-flowing football and our fitness levels were through the roof," Michael Shields recalls.
"We were confident enough of taking any one of the big teams."
Despite pocketing a third Sam Maguire under Mickey Harte, Tyrone were looking to add to their growing legacy.
Philly Jordan says there was a feeling in 2008 they "won against the grain", while their previous two title defences ended in failure. Ulster was annexed, but they stuttered over the line against Kildare in the quarter-final.
The starting line up against Cork boasted 16 All Star awards – only Anthony Lynch (2), Graham Canty and Nicholas Murphy could claim national recognition for Cork – but it was the presence of reigning Footballer of the Year and four-time All Star Sean Cavanagh on the bench that raised eyebrows.
The Moy man cried off before the game and Jordan says his team-mates only found out shortly before throw-in of the significant team change.
"He was the leader of the team and at that time he was probably the elite player in the country. He was a real physical, hard player and with Cork such a physical team, losing Sean was a massive blow to the team."
In his autobiography, Harte admitted to being "puzzled" when Cavanagh came to him on the morning of the game and told him that he was "wrecked", wasn't "feeling good" and hadn't slept at all that night.
"As a player Sean had always delivered. He was an icon for us and that greatness had been rewarded in 2008. Maybe the pressure was stemming from that recognition," he wrote.
Jordan describes being "tired and leggy" against a Cork side that were dominant in most areas of the pitch
Whatever the reasons, Cavanagh only appeared as a second-half substitute, but by then Cork were on their way.
For some reason, Tyrone couldn't shake that lethargic feeling; Jordan describes being "tired and leggy" against a Cork side that were dominant in most areas of the pitch. To compound matters, he has given the task of keeping tabs on Paddy Kelly, who wielded a great influence in attack.
"I got a hell of a roasting that day as he got a lot of possession. I was struggling a bit with a hip injury and I got surgery at the end of that season, but he was a player that was constantly moving. I had one of my tougher days and he took full advantage of it."
At the other end of the field, Shields' assignment was no picnic either. He was tasked with picking up Owen Mulligan, who was held scoreless from play, but for 10 minutes was switched onto Stephen O'Neill, a stern test for even the tightest-marking back.
"He was a really classy player and had a left boot like a wand. He was strong as a bull and would take you on at the first opportunity. He was a livewire for them," Shields recalls.
Daniel Goulding's goal gave Cork a five-point cushion at the interval, but were also a man down after losing Alan O'Connor to a second yellow.
The Rebels spoke little about the setback at the break – Shields admits he didn't even realise their numerical disadvantage until the second-half – as they focused solely on getting the job done.
The sides shared just four points in the second-half; Tyrone running out of ideas while Cork desperately looking to get over the line. Jordan credits Graham Canty as the star performer for nullifying the threat of Joe McMahon, but likens the Cork second-half to their own against Kerry in the 2003 All-Ireland semi-final win.
"They played brilliant stuff in the first half and then maybe 'puke football' as they say in the second half," he says, drawing on the famous Pat Spillane quote labelled against his own team.
"You get yourself into position when you realise you are going to beat the reigning champions and you start to think about that self doubt."
Counihan says it was also down to simple numbers.
"Playing for so long with 14, there was always going to be an element of having given so much we would retreat a little bit."
For Tyrone it was another hugely disappointing defence of Sam Maguire.
"Even if we had managed to get to the final, it would have been unlikely we would have won looking back now," Jordan says, despite Tyrone's enviable record against Kerry at the time. He couldn't even bring himself to watch the final on TV.
The marauding wing-back had his mind set on calling it a day at the end of 2009, but the manner of their exit, and his own personal performances made him reconsider, he vowed to give it another shot.
In 2010, he became one of a select band of players to earn an All Star without even reaching the semi-final stage. The following year he decided to hang up the boots. There would be no fourth All-Ireland Final.
"For all the underage structures, what have Tyrone done since?" wonders Counihan.
Provincial success has continued following Donegal's emergence under Jim McGuinness, but a cautious attitude in Croke Park has seen some serious setbacks. Defeat to Mayo in the quarter-final in 2016 and, especially, last season against Dublin in the semi-finals, put an asterisk beside their name as potential contenders.
Qualifier victories over Carlow and Cavan have the Red Hand on a winning roll, and Jordan says it was a draw neither team will have been unhappy with.
"I was hoping Tyrone would avoid Roscommon. They are probably the strongest of the provincial losers at this stage. The two teams don’t have a whole pile of experience and it will be something new for a lot of the players, but Cork won’t fear Tyrone, who haven’t set the world alight themselves."
"I believe Cork will stand up, but whether that is enough to beat Tyrone is another matter." - Conor Counihan
For Shields, the adjustment to being a former Cork footballer is still something new. He watched on in the new stand at Pairc Ui Chaoimh as his friends and former team-mates took a pasting from their neighbours.
"The biggest thing that stood out for me was the basic errors; ball handling, shooting when they shouldn’t have, taking on the solo or hop into the challenge when there was no need for it."
He conceded neither team is as strong as when they last met in the Championship, and the pangs of jealousy are there on match-day, something he expected in his first year retired.
"This game is coming at the right time for them. Tyrone might be favourites, but it is a huge opportunity for Cork."
Both sides have to face their demons in Portlaoise. Many observers, including Sean Cavanagh, feel Tyrone's play at times restrcts creative forwards, with their defensive approach a stick often used to beat them with.
Cork's humbling last time out has led to the only thing worse than criticism: pity. Still well off the pace of Kerry, Ronan McCarthy will be looking to prove that his team are a better team than they showed in the 17-point defeat.
"It’s a defining moment for a lot of players, on both teams," says Counihan.
"I believe Cork will stand up, but whether that is enough to beat Tyrone is another matter."
2009 All-Ireland semi-final
Cork 1-13 Tyrone 0-11
Tyrone: P McConnell, PJ Quinn, C Gormley, R McMenamin (0-01), D Harte (0-01), Justin McMahon, P Jordan (0-01), K Hughes (0-01), E McGinley, B Dooher, T McGuigan, Joe McMahon, M Penrose (0-01), S O’Neill (0-04, 1f), O Mulligan (0-02, 2f).
Subs: B McGuigan for T McGuigan (h-t), S Cavanagh for McGinley (46), Sean O’Neill for Gormley (54), A Cassidy for Dooher (54), C McCullagh for Joe McMahon
Cork: A Quirke, R Carey, M Shields, A Lynch, N O’Leary, G Canty, J Miskella, A O’Connor (0-01), N Murphy, P Kerrigan (0-01), P O’Neill (0-01), P Kelly (0-02), D Goulding (1-01), C O’Neill (0-02), D O’Connor (0-04, 3f).
Subs: F Goold (0-1) for Goulding (58), J Hayes for Kerrigan (60), M Cussen for O’Connor (66), K O’Connor for O’Leary (69), Cadogan for Miskella (71)
