And Galwegians have another such opportunity this Sunday when Gort take on the might of Portumna in the county senior hurling final at Pearse Stadium.
Gort have not contested a senior final in a quarter of a century and that lack of big game experience may be a factor on Sunday.
Some teams and individual players can find it difficult to adjust to playing in the showcase game of the year after a few years in the backbenches. And while the Gort men may take a bit of time to get their bearings on Sunday, Portumna have no such concerns.
They have become the standard bearers for Galway hurling over the past few years and they are backboned by some extremely experienced and talented hurlers.
Having collected the Tom Callanan cup three times in the past five years, 2003, 2005, and in 2007, they will be extremely keen to make that record four successes out of six attempts.
The big problem for Gort is that Portumna can whack in a few goals and leave you beaten in a whirlwind 10-minute spell of magic. Just ask Kinvara.
And while some hurling aficionados have pointed out that they have not hit the highs of previous seasons, they are still racking up impressive scorelines when required.
They hit 3-10 in the semi-final against Liam Mellows, 2-11 against Clarinbridge in the quarter-final, and slapped over 2-18 against Castlegar.
Any team that hits around the 20-points total will be difficult to overhaul, especially a team that includes the likes of Eugene McEntee, Ollie Canning, and Micheal Ryan in their rearguard.
The question is: If the current champions hit around the 2-15 mark, will Gort be able to beat that scoreline?
They did score 2-11 against Loughrea in the semi-final and 2-19 against Kinvara, so such a possibility is not beyond the imagination.
They will look to the likes of the experienced Ollie Fahy and the youthful exuberance of Richie Cummins and a scattering of frees from Gerry Quinn to keep them in touch. Every player has to believe that he can compete with the best and beat them, and it is impossible to believethe likes of Tadgh and Sylvie Og Linnane will have any inferiority complex as regards marking the likes of Damien Hayes or Joe Canning. The fact that their dad won county medals in 1981 and 1983 with the club will make them extremely keen to add another few winners’ medals to the family treasure chest.
As I said at the outset, many hurling devotees will go to Pearse Stadium this Sunday hoping to see an upset and there are few who would begrudge Gort a county title after so long in the wilderness. However Portumna will feel that if you want romance, you should read a good Mills and Boon novel instead of expecting them to allow it to be provided on their watch.
Portumna had never won a Galway senior club title before they made their break through back in 2003. The experienced men on their panel will know that nothing lasts forever and that you have to make hay while you can.
They have some very special and talented players in their set-up at the moment, none more so then the sublimely talented Joe Canning. And his brilliance could be a major factor again on Sunday. With the right supply, it is impossible not to believe that he can do some real damage to the Gort defence.
