Kilkenny and Galway will contest the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues Division 1 final as part of a unique triple-header in Croke Park this weekend.
The camogie decider will stand as the curtain-raiser for a hectic day of action at GAA headquarters, with the Allianz hurling and football league finals following later in the afternoon.
History at stake
Ann Downey's Cats have been one of the most formidable camogie teams in recent years. They've contested five All-Ireland finals between 2013 and 2018.
They tasted defeat on four of those occasions, but their victory in 2016 ended a 22-year wait to lift the O'Duffy Cup.
While they are certainly a competitive outfit in the championship, Kilkenny have enjoyed more success in the National League.
Having collected their third consecutive Division 1 title last year, they will be seeking a four-in-a-row this weekend when they take on Galway. If they manage to get over the line on Sunday, Kilkenny will become just the third team to achieve that feat.
Galway will be eager to trip the Cats up after comfortably defeating Limerick in the semi-final, who fell at the penultimate stage of the league for the fifth year in a row.
League final experience
Kilkenny undoubtedly hold the advantage in this department. They're the reigning champions and will be buoyed by the big-day match experience from winning the last three deciders.
Since 2014, Kilkenny have won four Division 1 titles in all.
Their rivals Cork provided the opposition in the last two finals and the sides met again in this year's semi-final, with Kilkenny edging out a three-point win in Carriganore.
Kilkenny were trailing by one point at the half-time interval in that game, but reigning Player of the Year Anne Dalton and Michelle Quillty inspired Downey's charges to victory, with Quillty landing six frees.
Last year's league final saw Kilkenny race into a commanding 10-point lead in the first half, and managed to hold Cork scoreless for the opening 10 minutes before Orla Cotter converted a free for Cork.
Kilkenny were still seven clear by half-time, but they ultimately coughed up their advantage as Cork gradually fought their back into the contest, falling just one point short of the victors in the end.
Galway last contested the league final in 2016, when a victory for Kilkenny kick-started their journey to a three-in-a-row of league titles.
However, they did capture the Division 1 crown the previous year with a three-point victory over Cork and are the only team to have disrupted Kilkenny's dominance in this competition over the last five years.
Previous meeting
Kilkenny and Galway were separated into different groups during this year's league campaign, meaning that last year's All-Ireland semi-final is their most recent competitive meeting.
They played out a thrilling encounter in Thurles on that occasion, with just three points between them at the final whistle.
It was Galway's third consecutive time to reach the last four of the championship, but a 48th-minute goal by Katie Power proved to be the decisive score.
Kilkenny opened up a six-point lead in that game before a Rebecca Hennelly penalty in injury-time gave Galway's cause an injection of hope.
They launched one last attack in the hope of snatching an equaliser but Denise Gaule rose highest to catch a long ball in and ensured that the reigning league champions would march onto the All-Ireland final the following month.
Prediction
Galway will bring an impressive fight to Croke Park on Sunday. The manner in which they rallied in last year's All-Ireland semi-final indicates the sense of resilience in the squad that could threaten Kilkenny's grip of the league title.
Downey's side were forced to survive an onslaught in last year's decider and the Westerners could inflict similar treatment on the champions when they take to the field for a 12pm throw-in.
But Kilkenny have the superior firepower and all available evidence suggests that they will take their place among the few who have achieved the four-in-a-row.
Follow Kilkenny v Galway with our live blog on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News Now App from 11.45am on Sunday, and listen live on RTÉ Radio 1 extra. Highlights on Allianz League Sunday on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player from 9.30pm.
