An empire always seems eternal until it isn't.
Limerick were hot favourites to become the first county to win five All-Ireland senior hurling titles in a row but they won’t even get to contest the decider after a surprise semi-final exit to Cork.
For manager John Kiely, this knock-out championship defeat stung just as badly as the last, despite the four glorious seasons in between.
"Being in that dressing room inside there has felt the exact same as 2019 [the semi-final loss to Kilkenny]," he told RTÉ Sport after Sunday's two-point loss. "It was gut-wrenching.
"I had visions of where I stood in the room and what I said to the lads and how I felt that day, and it felt no different today, I can tell you that. Losing is losing, by any definition it tastes the same.
"I’m just disappointed for the lads. They’ve put in a huge, huge shift. You want to give yourself opportunities to win the game, but you'd love to get to the final to give yourself an opportunity as well.
"Cork were that little bit more efficient, I think. Their shooting was incredible. I don’t know how many points they got from the sideline but they got quite a few down there from the left-hand side.
"That game was held in a very fine balance. Both teams had goal chances. It was just the tiniest of margins and Cork were just able to eke themselves out the right side of it.
"More power to them. They are a very high-energy team and they are a quality side. They have beaten us twice this year, so we have to acknowledge what they have done.
"Congratulations to Cork. We wish them and Clare the best in the final. It’s over to them."
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After the final whistle at Croke Park, Kiely took his players to applaud the Limerick supporters, who returned the favour as the Cork fans also acknowledged one of the game’s great sides.
The six-in-a-row Munster record-breakers rank alongside Kilkenny (2006-09) and the Rebels of 1941-44 in terms of consecutive All-Ireland titles.
However, Kiely insisted that the prospect of becoming the first team to complete the drive for five had "no bearing on us at all to be honest with you. We felt light about all that all year, we were very committed to going after the 2024 championship.
"When you’re on the road as long as the lads are, on a winning run like they have been, of course you’re going to come up against opportunities for the opposition to beat you. But we gave ourselves an opportunity to win it too.
"If we were beaten by 10 points, we'd say 'Right, OK, something's wrong here’. We could have won by two or three, but we didn't and, you know, that's just the way it is.
"So no concerns about the weight of that on the group, we had a really enjoyable year together. We were determined to enjoy the season and we did. I don't think the group had any baggage in that regard coming into today or any other day.
"The over-riding thought is, I’m extremely proud of the players and what they’ve done for 2024. They couldn’t have done any more. They worked extremely hard. They left no stone unturned.
"We have no regrets and it’s good to have that, in some respect."
Brian Cody’s Cats won six in seven, a feat Limerick could match if they were to regain their crown next year.
Would Kiely, who only agreed a one-year extension for this season, have called it a day if they had gone all the way again?
"The answer is that hasn’t been done, so we don’t have to worry about, do we?
"I've no doubt, Limerick will regroup and come back in 2025, refreshed and ready to go again. There's no reason why they can't.
"The group of guys that are inside in that dressing room are incredibly dedicated. They shape their world around hurling, where they choose to live, where they choose to work, where they choose to go to college, they have shaped their world around this group, this team.
"Just immensely proud of the boys, immensely proud of all the people in the backroom team for the work they've put in over the last number of years, and in particular this year.
"There's an incredible togetherness and unity within the group and, they're going to hurt now, there's no doubt about that. The hurt is going to be god-awful. I have no doubt, but it is what it is. We haven't tasted defeat very often, but any time we have, it has tasted very sour.
"So we just have to go through that now. The group will reflect obviously, individually, collectively. There will be a lot of time for that. Today is not for that consideration. I think that will take quite a bit of time."
Limerick will have the rest of the year to stew but time is also on their side. Just five of the 19 players who saw action yesterday are older than 30 - only Nickie Quaid is over 31 - and their key men have plenty left to give.
Whether the most successful manager they have ever had will be back for a ninth season to inspire the revival is the big question.
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