Richie Power believes victory for Kilkenny in Sunday's All-Ireland SHC final against Tipperary would be Brian Cody's greatest ever achievement.
Cody, 65, has lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup 11 times but hasn't tasted success on the biggest day of the year since 2015, a considerable wait for a county so used to being the best in the land.
Tipp, Galway and Limerick have filled the void in recent summers, but this year has proved that the more things change the more they stay the same.
The Cats are back in another decider, and Power - who won eight All-Irelands playing under Cody - says a win this year would trump everything else they've done during the legendary manger's reign.
"Beating Limerick (in the semi-final) was up there with one of Brian's greatest achievements, but if they do go and win this All-Ireland I think by far it will be his greatest achievement as a manager," Power told RTÉ Sport.
"This team has been written off over the last three years.
"If you asked any of the experts or media at the beginning of the year where they thought Kilkenny were going to be, I think a lot of people would have said a quarter-final would be a good year for them.
"You can never write off this team, and in particular Brian Cody. Going into the semi-final, I don't think it's ever been the case in Brian's tenure where they were such underdogs.
"I think Kilkenny were licking their lips going into that game. If they had been beaten there would have been nothing said about it. But Brian doesn't do hard-luck stories. That's why, if they do get over the line this year, I think he'll remember this one for the rest of his life."
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Power played in the epic drawn 2014 decider against the Premier, before helping Kilkenny edge the replay, and recognises that these contests tend to come with an extra edge.
The Cats want revenge for their nine-point loss to Tipp in the 2016 edition, with the pain of that failure still lingering.
"I know 2016 will be a huge driving factor for Kilkenny," added Power.
"Tipperary were the better team but it hurt a lot of those players. They've been itching to get back to an All-Ireland final. It has all the ingredients to be a cracker.
"You can take sweepers out of this game, there's no chances of anything like that happening. It could turn out to be a shootout similar to 2014.
"I've always said a Tipperary-Kilkenny All-Ireland final kind of takes on a world of its own in the build-up to it. Did many people think Kilkenny would be in an All-Ireland final in 2019? I don't think so.
"I think the expectation on Tipperary was slightly higher, with Liam Sheedy and the lads getting back involved, but the one thing I'd say about Kilkenny and those group of players is that you can never write them off. The spirit that's there is incredible."
Power had plenty of praise for Tipp, who themselves have shown a lot of grit to get back to a final. He expects Sheedy's charges to take the shackles off and go hell for leather.
"Tipp, with 20 minutes to go in a All-Ireland semi-final (against Wexford), were down to 14 men and five points behind. Something clicked inside those players and they showed exactly what they're about.
"That would have given them huge confidence walking off that field. You could see each and every one of the players had left everything out there.
"John McGrath (who was sent off against Wexford), I saw him coming off the pitch very relieved but he now has a day to go out and show his talents.
"He is definitely a player that has the ability to change this game. Both teams can take great confidence from the semi-finals. That in itself leads to the prospect of a phenomenal final.
"Both sets of forwards have the ability to win the game. Maybe, over the course of the year, both sets of defences have come under a bit of scrutiny. It's going to be enthralling to see how the teams line out. They both tend to start off edgy defensively.
"It's a 50-50 game. Whoever deals with the occasion might just have that little edge."
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Follow the All-Ireland hurling final between Kilkenny and Tipperary (Sunday 3.30pm) via our live blogs on RTÉ.ie and the News Now app, watch live on RTÉ2 or listen to radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.
