Hannah Tyrrell admits that the thrill of winning this year's All-Ireland title is one that is still sinking in and the Dublin star revealed that she is still biding her time regarding next year’s campaign.
Tyrrell proved influential throughout the summer to guide the Dubs to a perhaps unexpected victory, when they overcame Kerry 0-18 to 1-10 in the August final.
After an indifferent start to the year, the Dubs gradually improved and kept their best till last as they beat the favourites in the championship decider.
And while it was the fulfilment of a lifetime goal for the former Ireland rugby international, Tyrrell remains unsure as to whether she will be back in the light blue jersey next year with other commitments, including a young child, to consider.
"It still feel very surreal, to be honest, to have had the game I had and to win it as well," said Tyrrell, who was named Gaelic Writers' Association Ladies Football Personality of the Year, in association with EirGrid.
"It's very hard to put into words and describe it because it's been something I've been chasing for a while. So for it to finally come to fruition is brilliant, but also a bit surreal.
"And definitely extra special from the point of view that at the start of the season we weren't really in great shape, to be honest.
"We had a lot of newcomers coming in and we lost a lot of experience. As we went through the league, we maybe thought we wouldn't achieve what we wanted to. We still wanted to win the All-Ireland, but we didn't really maybe think it was possible this year.
"Kerry were obviously favourites coming in and were obviously the form team. In fairness to them, they had been phenomenal all year. But, for us, the satisfying bit was more that we changed our own narrative. We didn't believe too much at the start, but we put the hard work in and never gave up and we succeeded in the end."
And whether Tyrrell decides to commit or not, she is convinced that the future is bright for the champions who are already bringing through another talented generation into the team.
"We had two new corner-backs starting that All-Ireland final who had just turned 19 and they have huge Dublin careers ahead of them. A lot of these young girls got a taste for winning and that sticks. It makes you want it even more.
"Nothing is guaranteed in sport and I think over the last number of years, particularly in the ladies game, it has shown to be wide open again. Dublin will obviously be up there next year but there's no guarantees that we'll win it."
So the big question remains as to whether Tyrrell will join the new breed of Dublin stars or whether she will be content to sit back on the sidelines and cheer from afar, and while she has yet to commit, she has not closed the door completely on her inter-county future.
"To be honest, no, I haven't," said Tyrrell, when asked had she made a decision on playing next year.
"I obviously haven't ruled it out, there are a number of factors for me at play as to whether I play on for another year or not.
"It's hugely tempting to walk away on the high that I had this year. But I also feel that maybe there's something more to give.
"I'm going to give it a few more months, spend time with the family. Logistically with a young baby at home I need to see if I can make it work. That remains to be seen. The girls know that if I do come back, I'm giving 100% and I'm there for the team and hopefully we go on and do the business."
Watch the Ulster Club Football Championship quarter-final, Trillick v Crossmaglen, on Saturday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
