At the end of an incredibly open championship summer, we are left with the familiar story of Dublin and Kerry on opposite sides of the semi-final draw.
It is by no means a foregone conclusion that these will be the two sides in the final - Monaghan have consistently not only punched above their weight, but made a case for sitting at Gaelic football's top table all season; while Derry have spent much of the summer as the country's most consistently performing side.
Despite this, Dublin and Kerry will both be favourites to progress to the All-Ireland final, and it comes after a season that has seen both counties build slowly but surely through the many stages of an elongated league and championship double act.
The new championship format has been the source of much debate this summer but, speaking to Tomás Ó Sé this week, Roscommon manager Davy Burke highlighted one element of the conversation which has been oft forgotten.
READ HERE: GAA Says Arrests Made After Brawl Between Armagh And Monaghan Fans On Hill 16
GAA: Davy Burke highlights Dublin and Kerry build through championship summer
Both Dublin and Kerry started the season off in steady but unspectacular fashion, with Dublin stuttering through some of their early championship games, and Kerry losing out to Mayo in the round-robin phase of the All-Ireland.
The two counties, however, seem to have built to peak form at the right time, with Dublin obliterating Mayo in the third quarter on Sunday, and Kerry dismantling Tyrone.
1 July 2023; David Clifford of Kerry kicks a point despite the best efforts of Pádraig Hampsey and Joe Oguz of Tyrone during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship quarter-final match between Kerry and Tyrone at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Davy Burke managed Roscommon in their group game against Dublin, and has given an intriguing insight into how the Dubs and Kerry have managed to build to peak form at the right time.
Appearing on this week's episode of Comhrá le Tomás with Kingdom legend Tomás Ó Sé, Burke suggested that the elongated season had dampened the potential peril of the league for the biggest counties, and allowed them to focus more on the business end of the championship:
I think we were all guessing about periodisation and all that, to be honest with you.
It's very, very difficult.
Kerry looked to me that they took a slower approach with their holiday and everything else this year. In the National League, they came back a bit slower. Kerry were always going to get the five points or the six points required to stay up in Division One. It's a completely different mindset.
Dublin were in Division Two. No offence to anyone there, but they were probably going to get out of that regardless of what they'd done.
If you look at them two teams, the league didn't mean a huge amount. Kerry were always going to be in Division One, and Dublin were always going to get back to there.
The Roscommons, even Galway, Mayo...they were flat out. The teams that finished top three in Division One this year are all gone.
It's unbelievably difficult, but it's all about what's your aim? Where's your team at? What's your focus? Is it a National League, is it a provincial championship, or is it the All-Ireland series? I think it's very, very difficut for teams to do all three.
It's a fascinating argument, and certainly stands up when you examine the level to which both teams played in the early months of the season. Kerry manager Jack O'Connor even admitted during the Division One campaign that the National League was not of major concern to the county this year.
Monaghan and Derry will be ready to strike on All-Ireland semi-final weekend, but it will be a big ask to topple the two leading contenders for Sam Maguire.
SEE ALSO: Galway's Nicola Ward Feeling Benefit Of Being Closer To Home
