The Big Match coverage comes with thanks to George Corbett Skoda.
Ballygunner meet Doon in the Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship Quarter-Final at the Gaelic Grounds this afternoon.
The Gunners are seeking the perfect ten going into the clash - having won their last nine matches at provincial level, and the last three titles in tandem.
While this is unchartered territory for the first-time Limerick champions, they do present a familiar adversary in the form of former Waterford and De La Salle boss, Derek McGrath.
One man who is certainly no stranger to McGrath is his former Deise captain - Gunners forward Pauric Mahony. Mahony notched 1-45 as Darragh O'Sullivan's men once again put all in Waterford to the sword to capture 11-in-a-row. While the mutual respect remains apparent, Mahony is not bothered by who operates on any opposition sideline - he and his clubmates are solely focused on one thing only, that being the task in hand.
"We would have come up against Derek when he was manager at De La Salle a number of years ago, so we know what to expect. This week is all about just focusing on ourselves and getting our own preparations spot on and getting ready to bring our best performance on Sunday."
3 September 2017; Pauric Mahony of Waterford and his manager Derek McGrath dejected after the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Galway and Waterford at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Bookmakers have jumped the gun in some respects with not a sliotar pucked since September 1st. Ballygunner are 1/6 to beat Doon, 8/15 to win Munster and just 13/8 to capture a second All-Ireland. What does that count for come throw-in? Absolutely nothing - there is no such thing as an easy game of hurling.
"We've been around a while now - we know that any game you play in the Munster Club Championship - whether it's home or away, you need to be at your best nearly every time you go out onto the pitch. We know that this Sunday is going to be no different. Obviously, we know who we're playing now, so we'll do a bit of analysis this week and try and get things as right as possible."
Ballygunner and consistency go hand-in-hand. Their application levels and determinations are a sight to behold to many. How much of that comes back to mindset and mental fortitude?
"I guess we've been fortunate enough over the last number of years that we've been able to switch off for maybe five or six months of the year", said Mahony. "It's obviously different for the lads who are involved with the inter-county set-up, but for lads who aren't, from January probably to around May or June, you're able to down tools completely. You're able to build up that hunger and your energy levels then coming in for a Waterford Senior Hurling Championship."
"Obviously, getting over the line in Waterford is always our number one target every year. Once you do that, you can reset and recharge the batteries with a break before you lead into the Munster Club. You could argue that that's suited us over the last number of years."
With four Munster titles, 11 county medals and an All-Ireland since 2014 - that notion is pretty hard to dispel. Then again, in a team of Ballygunner's quality - has one All-Ireland Final appearance been enough? Are they driven by disappointments as much as success? And for good measure - what would Father Time have to say about all of this?
3 December 2022; Pauric Mahony of Ballygunner after the AIB Munster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship Final match between Ballygunner of Waterford and Ballyea of Clare at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
"You look for numerous different aspects to give you extra motivation", he outlined. "Obviously, past defeats is one, but there's plenty of other things too. A lot of us are probably looking in terms of what's left and in terms of how long we've left on the pitch - trying to maximise as much of that as you can when you're there. We know that we have a special group there at the moment and that's not going to stay that way forever."
"This is a fresh start too", said an upbeat Mahony. "There's a lot of new lads in the squad this year. We have new people in our background team. They bring new energy levels to everyone as well. When you see 16-, 17-, 18-year-olds winning minors, winning under-20s, (3:45) it pushes on the senior lads. It's a good stepping stone from one to the next within the club. That definitely helps the older lads within the team."
An elder statesman by his own accounts, 32-year-old Mahony has conjured 2-171 in his time donning red and black in Munster. 13 Waterford titles, four Munster medals and an All Ireland later - he's probably hungrier than ever before. This is why Ballygunner keep finding themselves back at the well. It's not very often that they don't strike oil.
Ballygunner versus Doon is our George Corbett Skoda Big Match on WLR this afternoon. Join Tomas McCarthy and Michael Ryan for live coverage from 3:45pm.
For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.
The Big Match coverage comes with thanks to George Corbett Skoda.
