We have reached the Alliance Hurling League final and the first thing I need to do is admit I was wrong.
I made a comment that, of the top five teams in the country, four would be from Munster. I probably had Kilkenny outside that bracket and based it on what I saw of them early doors this year, with a new manager, players gone from last year and a new system.
I don't know why I ever doubted them, I lost enough to them over the years to do that. As someone once said, admitting you are wrong is just another way of saying you are wiser today than yesterday, so I'll go with that.
What the league is brilliant for is giving a window to the lesser known players to announce to the wider world that they're good enough to compete at this level. As a player starting on that journey, it's a magic feeling flicking on the highlights show of a Sunday night and maybe hearing your name mentioned or them showing one of your scores.
Players won't admit this while playing but it's a great buzz and if you're from a smaller club like me, where you could count on one hand the amount of inter-county senior players we've had, it's also a magical feeling for your club members going to a national final and seeing your club's name on the programme. It's a great sense of pride for so many and some players will feel this for the first time on Sunday.
So it's a rematch of the 2022 All-Ireland final, Limerick, the best team in the country, facing the last side to beat them in a knockout championship game. The vast improvements Kilkenny have made round by round have been impressive to say the least.
I was down in Nowlan Park on 12 February for their round 2 clash with Tipperary. It was not good viewing from a Kilkenny perspective as we beat them for the first time since 2008 down there. The groans from the stand as Kilkenny tried to work the ball through the lines, were turned over again and again and just beaten in all positions of the field would send shivers down your spine on the line, or as a player and maybe get you to question whether you should just go back to what worked before and drive it in.
But they didn't, they stuck to the process, and trusted each other as players and management that this will come right and if we continue to do what we have always done then that won't get us to where we want to go. Massive kudos has to go to Derek Lyng and co for getting the group to buy into this because I have no doubt they could hear those groans and calls of "will you drive it" as clearly as I could.
They have improved gradually round by round, demolishing Laois and Dublin afterwards and putting in a real workmanlike performance against Waterford in horrendous conditions in the final round.
They have, in Billy Drennan, statistically the best free-taker in the country right now. He's the top scorer of the league with 2-65 in six games, averaging 12 points a game. He's well able to mind himself and has bulked up considerably since last year but more important for his team right now is that the man does not know how to miss a free.
In the semi final he took 14 shots at goal and scored 1-13. Phenomenal shooting and Derek Lyng now has a 'Messi or Ronaldo to take the penalty' conundrum when TJ Reid returns as to which marksman he'll have on the frees.
This weekend, what Drennan could learn from playing in a national senior final, and marking one of the greatest corner-backs ever in Sean Finn, could be more valuable to him in the long-term development of his game than the league medal would be.
I saw during the week that Finn can bench 140kgs. It would take me three goes to lift that much; I'd be leaving the shirt on going on that team holiday with the beasts they have.
For Limerick, their path to the final was more straightforward. They tried harder and so beat everyone who got in their way after that first-round outing against Cork when they had nine first-team regulars missing.
This is the strongest they have ever been under John Kiely. The strength in depth in their panel has gone through the roof and with the Limerick under-20s not out this week the options of Adam English and Shane O'Brien are there for him should he wish to utilise them.
It's scary for the rest of us to watch on and see them scratch their heads as to who not to start out of four All-Star defenders. One of Sean Finn, Mike Casey, Dan Morrissey or Barry Nash will not start in the full-back line come championship.
Now move up the field and Cathal O'Neill is pushing Tom Morrissey and Gearoid Hegarty to be even better again this year because if not he'll take that jersey. Seamus Flanagan might not even get a starting berth such are the performances of O'Brien and Donnacha O'Dàlaigh and the return of Aaron Gillane.
English will push the midfield and Colin Coughlan will be asking questions of the half-back line. Nicky Quaid is the only one 100% guaranteed the start these days I'd say and of course the genius that is Cian Lynch, the Messi of hurling.
So how do Kilkenny go about dismantling this machine on Sunday? Firstly, a ferocious work-rate and intensity for a 75-minute spell that they haven't given yet as a group under Derek Lyng. And that's just to try and match Limerick.
Something that will intrigue the rest of the mangers watching on is, if you push up on Limerick and don't allow them time to work that ball out can you beat them? For me a must-need is goals. Tipp scored 14 goals in the league but didn't ask a single question of Quaid in the semi-final.
Kilkenny have scored six goals coming into this and they'll have to rattle the net twice to be in sight of victory on Sunday.
The potential match-ups are fascinating: you could have Finn v Drennan, Eoin Cody v Mike Casey, Huw Lawlor v Gillane, Blanchfield v Hegarty. Will someone get the task of shutting down Nash?
Will Mikey Butler get that man-marking job on Cian Lynch like he did against Tony Kelly in last year's All-Ireland semi-final? And between the sticks you have the two best goalies in the country over the past decade.
Their puckouts, shot-stopping and general organisation is unrivalled and the funny thing is they are both outfielders for their club.
Drennan will score the frees but taking your chances is also vital against Limerick. Tipp got off 24 shots in open play and scored 14 while Limerick took 28 shots from play and scored 20.
The more you shoot the more chance you have to score but the right person needs to be taking on the shot. In the semi-final win over Cork, Kilkenny took 30 shots in open play but only scored 11, this will have to come up to 19 or 20 scores for victory this weekend.
So, Kilkenny will have to fight like tigers, hurl out of their skins, score goals and take all their chances to have a chance of winning, and then hope Limerick don't do the same. It sounds ridiculous but such are the standards for victory against this Limerick group.
I feel that the most decorated captain in hurling history, Declan Hannon of Adare, will be adding another string to his bow on Sunday, lifting the trophy aloft and inviting their rivals, as the great GAA man Robbie Williams once sang, to come and have a go if you think you are hard enough.
Watch Mayo v Roscommon in the Connacht Football Championship on Sunday from 3.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
