Liam Sheedy is relishing the build-up a "hard-earned" All-Ireland hurling final clash with Kilkenny, his third decider overall and first since his Tipperary side stopped the five in a row in 2010.
Sheedy was manager when Tipp fell at the final hurdle in 2009 and stepped away after their victory the following year.
In his maiden campaign since coming back as manager, he has led the Premier County back to the promised land.
"It's good to have been through the routine previously," Sheedy told RTÉ Sport. "That's the one thing, while a lot has changed, there's also a lot of constants.
"The three weeks building up to an All-Ireland final is the best three weeks of your life.
"We're exactly where we want to be and we're loving every aspect of our preparation.
"We know now it's all geared towards bringing a performance out onto that pitch because if we come up any bit short or off-colour, we will be found out, because this is a serious, serious Kilkenny team.
"Every year when you start out you want to be involved on All-Ireland final day and that's where we find ourselves and we're just really, really looking forward to it."
Sheedy's side won all four of their Munster round-robin games and quickly assumed the mantle of All-Ireland title favourites until a 12-point defeat to Limerick in the provincial final brought them crashing back to earth.
Limerick were edged out in the semi-finals by Kilkenny but Tipp saw off a spirited Laois in the quarter-final and then dug deep to seal an epic fightback against Wexford.
"We took the scenic route," admitted Sheedy. "The Munster final was a tough day for us. We didn't bring a level of performance in the second-half of what we'd expect from ourselves so that was hugely disappointing.
"But equally impressive was the way the guys regrouped and have gone about their business since. (There were) probably a lot of question marks still from various sectors after the quarter-final performance.
"The first-half was tough for us against Wexford. They were over-running us and had us in deep trouble at periods in that first half. But, ultimately, the way we finished the game and the way we reacted when our backs was to the wall was probably hugely pleasing.
"It's been hard-earned. There has been a few twists and turns along the way which I knew there would be. But to be in there now is really, really pleasing. It's one we're just really relishing and looking forward to."
