And then there were six.
The three from Munster would have been favoured by many from the outset but I would love to meet the person who predicted the three in Leinster - without Kilkenny.
I will be asking them to pick lotto numbers for me from now on and tell me who will win the World Cup.
If you were from Kilkenny and totally out of the loop for the past month or so, maybe stranded on a desert island, you would be forgiven for going to Ticketmaster and trying to purchase tickets for the Leinster Hurling final because such has been the routine year-in-year-out for the Cats.
Only three times since the year 2000 have they not been in the final.
Just before writing this piece, news broke that Derek Lyng had stepped down as manager and whilst my love for Kilkenny would be measurable in a very small egg cup, we always had the utmost respect for the Kilkenny lads and Lyng was no different.
I marked - or tried to mark him - on several occasions and he was in a word, a warrior.
He gave it his all in that jersey as a player and I certainly learned a lot from my days going toe-to-toe with him.
His numbers as a player and manager are off the charts. They would be the collective total for most counties - let alone one player.
I'm not going to say I know Derek well but any dealing I had with him was always positive and his passion and honesty shone through in his interviews, never trying to make an excuse for a loss but rather accepting it and learning from it.
I wish him well in his extra-time now. A legend of the game and what a servant to Kilkenny hurling over the past three decades.
The question for Kilkenny now is who’s up next? That will be interesting to say the least.
Back to the action in Croke Park and to the most exciting and entertaining province this year.
After a landmark victory over Kilkenny in Parnell, the Dubs have made their way back to the decider and are seeking to lift Bob O’Keeffe for the first time since 2013.
This is their opportunity to really announce themselves as All-Ireland contenders.
Their progress under Niall Ó Ceallacháin has been really impressive, they looked very organised and structured in their play, their work rate is excellent and relentless and there is a real belief within the group and the players that they can hurl it and mix it with anyone on their day.
Galway come to the final with a mixture of youth, experience and unpredictability.
They have hurled in patches and blown teams away when they do it but they need to start putting in first-half performances now because the quality of opposition only goes up from here on.
If they give Dublin the same head start they allowed to Kildare or Wexford they will not claw that back.
What that did show was a great resilience amongst the group. They made an 18-point turnaround against Kildare and came from being 13 points behind at one stage against Wexford to find a way to win both days.
But they can't put themselves in a similar hole again. They will know this themselves and I am sure it will have been mentioned by Micheál Donoghue since the Wexford game about the necessity to start well.
The vast expanses of Croke Park should suit Dublin and the way they like to run at defences and exploit the space left in front of their full-forward line.
Galway are the same to this extent. They leave one up top and have kept faith with that structure. Players swap in and out of the lone full-forward role seamlessly, which can be confusing for defences.
Spare a thought for the full-back who has to watch their man and be mindful of the 50 yards of vast space in front of them also.
To call a winner is tough but the Dubs have shown a great consistency in their play in all their games.
They are hurling with freedom and belief and that is why I think they will edge this on Saturday night.
Down the road to the Páirc on Sunday and if the All-Ireland hurling final is Christmas Day, the Munster hurling final is Christmas Eve with extra presents.
I have had requests from as far away as the Glens of Antrim for tickets to this game.
Hurling people love this day and will travel far and wide to see it but Cork are like Coldplay right now - you just cannot get a ticket when they are in town.
This has become one of hurling's most compelling modern rivalries.
Sunday will provide another chapter in a match-up which has definedthe hurling landscape in recent years.
Cork became only the second team in Munster round robin to win all four of their games; the other, believe it or not, was Tipperary in 2019.
No doubt, Limerick will seek to harness the hurt of last year's Munster final loss, where Cork ended their seven-in-a-row bid on a titanic evening.
But Limerick won’t play on emotion, they will play with ice in the heads and fire in the bellies.
They are in the best condition they've been in for some time, a testament to Adrian O’Brien, their S&C coach.
They look stronger, fitter and the supporting cast are making a serious impact off the bench.
The tactical battles will be fascinating.
Will the Limerick half-back line follow the Cork half-forward line around the field or will they hold firm like they did in the league final?
Will Rob Downey follow Aidan O’Connor or will he let him off and just accept that he will score four or five points, mindful that the greater threat is Aaron Gillane?
O'Connor's form right now is such that leaving him off is like allowing Shane Barrett roam free - both will punish you.
Finally, how are Cork going to maximise the threat of their full-forward line up against Sean Finn, Mike Casey and Barry Nash.
So many questions to be answered, so many answers to be given on Sunday.
To call this one I look at it like this - Limerick have their full deck to choose from and are in really good form - albeit it was a very poor Tipperary side that they steamrolled in the final round of games.
Cork are without some key players in the form of Ciarán Joyce and Darragh Fitzgibbon, while Rob Downey will certainly be asked more questions than a toothless Clare attack posed two weeks ago.
Forced to call it, I would give the nod to Limerick by two to three points.
The atmosphere will be electric. These two have been commonly referred to as juggernauts and when they do collide, the encounter is usually fairly taxing on both groups.
An unstoppable force in Cork and an immovable object in Limerick - something will have to give one way or the other.
Watch a hurling final double-header, Carlow v Laois in the Joe McDonagh Cup (3.45pm) and Dublin v Galway in the Leinster Hurling Championship (6pm), on Saturday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch Cork v Limerick in the Munster Hurling Championship final on Sunday from 1.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
