Once the pairings for the women's All-Ireland club semi-finals were known, most observers, or those who publicised their opinion at least, felt reigning champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne and Kilmacud Crokes would set up a repeat of the 2024 decider.
The Galway kingpins and eight-in-a-row Connacht champions were comfortable winners over Comeragh Rangers, but the other semi-final didn’t follow the script.
Appearing in their maiden semi-final, St Ergnat's Moneyglass produced an outstanding display to emerge victorious and become the first side from Antrim to make it to a top-tier ladies football national club final.
The jubilant scenes went viral with local priest Fr James O’Neill joining in with the celebrations, a community lifted by sporting exploits.
"I think everyone was a bit shocked because our main goal at the start of the year was to try to win Ulster," Maria O’Neill, who scored 1-03 from centre-forward, tells RTÉ Sport.
"To get out of Ulster was unreal and we kind of knew that when we came into the All-Ireland scene that it was a whole different kind of ball game.
"To come out the winning side of it, I think everyone was just really, really shocked and absolutely thrilled. Now we're in an All-Ireland final and it doesn't get better than this."
The past four seasons have seen Moneyglass struggle to translate their county success at provincial level.
Clann Éireann had ended their two previous Ulster campaigns, so exacting revenge on the Armagh club this year was a huge boost to self-belief.
"That was the biggest challenge," the Ulster University student says. "We couldn't go down to their pitch and get beat three years in a row."
While it was a collective display that laid the foundation for victory over Crokes, O’Neill and Cathy Carey provided the X-factor up front to torment the Kilmacud defence.
Between them, they accounted for 1-09 of the team’s tally of 1-12. O’Neill’s superb second-half goal was a crucial score in the final quarter, while full-forward Carey, who has lifted All-Ireland junior titles and a National League with Antrim, kicked a dozen points.
A stingy Kilkerrin-Clonberne defence conceded just three points in their semi-final win, but O’Neill believes they will be given a stern examination by her potent team-mate.
"Cathy has played in these kinds of games for the county," she says. "She's the best player probably Antrim's ever seen and she's really shown that through her whole club season this year.
"Her performance against Kilmacud is what got us over the line and she really does show true leadership, but we have other girls that also need to step up. The pressure can't always be on Cathy."
The bookmakers are unanimous in their belief that Moneyglass have little chance of causing another upset, but that isn't of concern to O'Neill and company. It mattered little against Kilmacud, now one more sizeable challenge awaits.
"You hear a lot of talk about Kilkerrin-Clonberne, how they're such a strong team and they've been together and they've won four all-Irelands," she says.
"That's some accomplishment. People maybe don't look at us as much and haven’t been talking about us as much, but I'd probably much prefer that. We're just here to give it our best shot.
"As much as the pressure is on to try to stop their five-in-a-row and get the win on the day, I don't think there's any external pressures. I think we're all really happy with the position that we're in and we're just looking forward to it."
Watch the Camogie club finals on Sunday with RTÉ Sport. Ballincollig v Camross from 1.55pm in the intermediate final on RTÉ Player followed by the senior final of Athenry v St Finbarr's from 4pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
