The focus shifted to football this weekend, with four massive game taking place throughout the country. While most of the matches ended in fairly routine victories, we still can take away plenty of lessons from these games.
Here are 5 things we learned from the club GAA weekend.
1. Cinderella stories are still possible in the GAA
St Columba's Mullinalaghta became the first Longford club to reach a Leinster club SFC final at the weekend, defeating Carlow's Eire Og on a scoreline of 2-15 to 0-3. That is not the most remarkable part of this story however.
Mullinalaghta have won the last three Longford championships in a row, despite having a population of lass than 400 people. It is an amazing story of sustained success for club of this size, and they are now set to come up against Dublin kingpins Kilmacud Crokes in the provincial decider. It will be billed as the ultimate David versus Goliath story, and rightly so.
At a time when inter-county football seems more predictable than ever, this is a a timely reminder that cinderella stories are still possible in the GAA.
2. Corofin are a pillar of consistency
Corofin won their third consecutive Connacht title, defeating Ballintubber in MacHale Park. While it looked a bit nervy at times, the Galway side ultimately ran out reasonably comfortable winners on a four-point margin.
It is their ninth provincial title in the last 27 years, a run which also featured 17 county championship crowns. It is an incredible level of consistency that is rarely seen within the GAA, and something that should not be overlooked.
Having won the All-Ireland last year, they will be hoping to join some elite company come the new year. Only three clubs (Crossmaglen, St Finbarr's & UCD) have won consecutive All-Irelands, and this Corofin side certainly look capable of emulating that achievement.
3. Dr Crokes are head and shoulders above the rest in Munster
Dr Crokes have won their eighth Munster title without breaking a sweat, defeating Clare champions Miltown Malbay on a scoreline of 1-21 to 2-9. The game was essentially over as a contest within the first 10 minutes, and follows up very convincing wins in their first two provincial ties.
It seemed clear from the outset of the Munster championship that Crokes were way ahead of their competitors, and that did indeed turn out to be the case.
The Kerry side will have their sights set firmly on a third All-Ireland crown on St Patrick's day, but they are sure to come against some much stiffer competition in the new year.
4. Portlaoise fail to get over the line in Leinster once again
Portlaoise's quest for a first Leinster championship since 2009 has ended after a heartbreaking three-point defeat to Kilmacud Crokes. They had a chance to equalise late on in that game, but Craig Rogers' penalty was saved.
It is yet another devastating end to the year for Portlaoise, who have featured in the Leinster series every year this decade, apart from 2016. With such dominance displayed within their own county, it will no doubt be hugely disappointing to consistently fall short in their province.
5. The All-Ireland series is going to be incredible
Dr Crokes and Corofin have already booked their place in the All-Ireland semi-finals, and they are probably the two strongest teams in the country at the moment. The other semi-finalists will be decided over the next couple of weeks, but it is already shaping up to be a fantastic end to the club season.
