After notching a ninth consecutive county title on the bedpost, Ballygunner rise again this weekend to begin the defence of their Munster and All-Ireland crowns.
Yes, plenty of players kept themselves busy with football and while the county championship was anything but a sleepwalk to the finish line, today is when the real business starts.
Darragh O Sullivan's men head back to Walsh Park where they have been all-conquering. The last time the senior team tasted defeat was back in 2019 to Borris-Ileigh in Páirc Uí Rinn.
Speaking to WLR Sport midweek O' Sullivan stressed the importance of the team unit, of no player being any more important than another and of the fierce training sessions that play out behind closed doors.
The accountant who is balancing work and hurling commitments as we approach Christmas talks about the competition for jerseys which keeps already sharp tools that bit more edged. Young talents pegged for greatness have only gotten a sniff of the senior team this year, while the player who struck the last-gasp All-Ireland winning goal has had to content himself with intermediate hurling - albeit a county title picked up along the way.
Their roll will have to come an end at some point. All good (or indeed, bad) things do. Looking at the games that could lie ahead - MacDonaghs, Na Piarsaigh, the Barr's from Cork or maybe round two with Ballyea - it's completely reasonable to think any of those sides might take a cut off the Gunners, but based on a reliability that you could set a watch to, it's hard to see it happening this year.
Since that one-point loss to Borris-Ileigh, Ballygunner have averaged a winning margin of 8.5 points per game outside the county. When you think about the fact that they beat Ballyhale by a single point, it makes that average even more impressive.
Kilruane-MacDonagh's should prove to be a fierce challenge on Sunday however. The club ended a 37-year-wait for county glory last weekend when they beat Kiladangan in the replay. Cian Darcy's last-minute goal sealed victory over the defending champions. They trailed by 5 at the break but fought back to outshoot their opponents 2-13 to 0-7 in the second half.
Whether they have cashed their final cheque or not remains to be seen. It's been a long campaign for them and Ballygunner are now well-rested. Daragh O'Sullivan reckons his team are well-positioned having gone through the same process last year. Ballyea beat Inagh/Kilnamona on November 14th, only to face Ballygunner on the 21st. The Clare side got hammered by 17 points - at home.
Dessie Hutchinson was sent for media duties this week. The star forward said, "We've enough experience at this stage to know how to deal with it. There was a few of us off playing football the last couple of weeks as well so that was a nice little break for us from the hurling. In terms of it being an advantage or anything like that - I don't think so. It's Munster Championship. These games are heavy and they're nothing you've experienced before. They are going to be coming in off a high and that's just the way it is, but we're used to this kind of layoff."
With a settled squad who consistently execute each week - combined with that almost-boring reliability, it's hard to see Ballygunner being knocked off the perch this weekend, or even this year.
