By any standard Liam Cahill's short time in charge of the Waterford hurlers has been a success.
Last year, his first, he took a team that hadn't won in nine previous championship matches all the way to the All-Ireland final.
Yesterday, his side's season ended at the hands of the same opposition: Limerick, and by the same margin: 11 points.
Though even reaching the All-Ireland semi-final has to be considered a reasonable performance after a Munster quarter-final defeat defeat to Clare that was more comprehensive than the finals score suggested.
Cahill's initial two-year term has now expired but will he be back for more in 2022?
"It's hard to know yet," he told RTÉ Sport. "We'll just have to sit down and talk to everybody.
"Stakeholders, county chairman and all the boys who initially chatted about what needed to happen.
"But look, these fellas are very hard to walk away from because they're a really honest bunch of fellas.
"I'm after having a brilliant two years here. They’ve given me everything. I’ve got out as much as I can around the club scene in Waterford as well. lots of good young hurlers. Nice U20 team again. A lovely minor team contesting a Munster final on Monday night."
Cahill led his native Tipperary to back-to-back U21/U20 titles in 2018/2019 and was in the frame for the senior job before Liam Sheedy signalled his desire to return to the hot seat.
He might be forgiven for waiting to see whether will be a vacancy closer to home before making his mind up. If Sheedy doesn't want another year then who better to succeed him than the man who plotted Tipp's defeat last week?
Whether he returns to Waterford next year or not, Cahill was justifiably proud of his men's battling spirit on Saturday and over the last year.
"My players absolutely gave it everything," he said. "They're a credit to themselves, their clubs, their families, Waterford hurling.
"I know it doesn’t mean a lot in defeat, they don’t want that sort of patronising comments from me, but they genuinely are a great bunch of players to work with.
"I’m proud of what they’ve done over the last month for hurling and for Waterford and for hurling across the country.
"They’ve given every county a lift as to how you can survive and fight and battle your way into the latter stages of the championship."
