It has been 12 years since Leah Caffrey first pulled on a Dublin jersey, but basking in the afterglow of a fifth All-Ireland, there are no signs of the journey ending any time soon.
Little wonder given the performances of the trusted Na Fianna defender. The Dubs failed to reach the Lidl Ladies' National Football League decider, yet the 31-year-old was selected in the league team of the year.
Having being edged out by Galway in 2024, there was satisfaction in exacting revenge over the Tribes in an All-Ireland semi-final that went to extra-time, a game sandwiched by resolute outings from Paul Casey and Derek Murray’s side.
Meath mustered 10 points in the final, while a Caffrey-led defence kept Cork to just seven points in the quarters.
Caffrey is among a dozen Dublin players nominated for an All-Star Award, and appears well placed to add to the four already in her possession.
She stresses, however, that it is a collective effort.
"We're all there for each other and it's a unit, especially in the backs," she told RTÉ Sport.
"It’s lovely for the six backs to be nominated for All-Stars, a testament to how hard we all worked for each other."
By her own admission, she was shy when she started playing. She credits her father John, an All-Ireland winner from 1983, for developing her confidence.
"He would have just taught me to go out and give it my best, so he was kind of just praising my effort more so than my actual input into the game.
"I kind of had a good attitude because of this."
Paul Gilheaney gave Caffrey her Dublin debut in 2013, and what stands out from that period is the way senior players like Sinead Finnegan went out of their way to welcome new people into the group.
"I remember being in the gym, and I had never been in the gym before. We were doing pull-ups, and I couldn’t do them.
"She said not to worry, she couldn’t do them either. She was always looking out for me.
"It eases you into the atmosphere. I try and kind of replicate her when new people are coming into the group."
This year's semi-final proved to be the tightest of games, Dublin requiring a Hannah Tyrrell free to push the game to extra-time before goals from captain Carla Rowe and Kate Sullivan steered the team from the capital to the decider.
Having lost to the Tribes in similar circumstances 12 months previous, it made the victory all the sweeter.
"After 2024, we were all kind of like 'Are we much off it?' or 'How far away are we?'. I think we all felt like we had a lot more to give, so the decision to get back into things pretty soon after was kind of just natural.
"The transition then into this year made us a lot smoother because we were all on the same page and we were hungry to get back on top."
