All the talk over the last couple of years has been of a Kilkenny team in transition.
Yet here we are pre-2018 All Ireland Championship and Brian Cody's side have won the National Hurling League and provided a springboard for their summer.
As the Cats revel in victory over rivals Tipperary, Joe was joined by Kilkenny legend Tommy Walsh and Offaly great Daithi Regan to reflect on the league final and how Cody's team raised their level.
One point highlighted by Walsh was the Kilkenny tactical shift which is having a positive knock-on effect.
"Probably a shift in tactics has led to the guys playing with a bit of freedom because now the supporters are praising them as opposed to getting on their backs asking for all these older players to come back," he said.
"Now, they're looking at these players with a sense of excitement. But definitely the change in tactics is definitely a big thing.
"But yesterday was different again so it's an ability to adapt. Because again Tipperary, Kilkenny and Tipperary pride themselves on being great hurling counties - guys that are able to play the traditional way: 'We launch that ball and the best guy will win it, we have the players and we won't back down.'
"And yesterday, while both half-forwards went back into the their defences a lot, they were kind of playing a 15 vs 15 kind of a game.
"I think the tactics earlier on in the season worked."
Meanwhile, Daithi felt Tipp did impress in patches at times during the game.
"I was actually impressed with Tipperary for periods of the game yesterday. I thought some of the long ball that went in, at times they were very unlucky not to get onto the breaks," he said, adding that Tipp manager Michael Ryan will have learned a lot from that game.
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