Last week the Friends of Dublin Hurling welcomed Tom Ryan of Na Fianna into their Hall of Fame.
Hurling-mad Tom has given a lifetime of service to his club, and is a friendly face at Croke Park every weekend during the summer where he helps as a matchday steward.
Over the past few decades people like Tom Ryan have built a culture of hurling at Na Fianna.
The development work paid huge dividends between 2014 and 2018 when they won three Under-21 hurling championship titles in a row - 2016, 2017 and 2018 - and four minor championships between 2014 and 2017.
Current senior team defender Kevin Burke says he is very much aware, thankful for, and proud of the work that has gone into nurturing Na Fianna as a hurling force.
"On our day, if we play to the best of our ability, we feel we can compete with anyone and that's down to all the work that has gone beforehand," Burke says.
And as the club looks forward to a second successive AIB Leinster Club senior hurling championship final, after enduring a slog against St Martin's last weekend, Burke believes that the side are learning to dog wins out.
"We have had the good, bad and ugly over the past few years," he smiles. "Two county title wins, two finals lost and losing the Leinster final last year.
"In one of the county final losses we were well ahead with time running out and lost. You learn from all of these things.
"But they are great days to be part of. Last year our club members marched from the clubhouse to Croke Park and it was powerful to see. They’ll do the same again. And it’s just testament to all the work that has gone on here."
"We have to get our own bodies right and try to play to the best of our ability."
St Martin’s had edged ahead last weekend with time running out. But Na Fianna found a way.
A flowing team move was finished off by the striking figure of Sean Ryan who came off the bench to clinch the crucial score.
"It’s been a very long journey since Niall (O Ceallachain, new Dublin maanager) took charge of this team and we have been through a lot," adds Burke.
"But we have learned from every game and it all adds up. The more of those big days, the more experience you have."
Burke, whose younger brother, Donal will lead the Na Fianna attack this weekend, says it was really tough to endure two Dublin final losses.
But now they are finding ways to prevail - even when they don’t reach fifth gear.
"We have found ways to win even when we are not playing to our best and that is definitely something we have improved on.
"You have to be ready for something that is thrown at you too.
"This is our third game in three weeks now and you are really only looking at the opposition a few days out, getting a few pointers from management, getting the body right and going out to play the way you can.
"We will have a look at Kilcormac Killoughey. We know that they have great players and we will look out for them obviously, but we have to get our own bodies right and try to play to the best of our ability."
Watch the Leinster Club SHC final, Na Fianna (Dublin) v Kilcormac Killoughey (Offaly), on Saturday from 7.35pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
