Such is the legendary status afforded to Stephen Cluxton that he was the story of the weekend although he didn't even step onto the hallowed Croke Park turf for game time.
On the day that the clocks went forward, Dublin went back to their captain fantastic who has returned to the fold after 'stepping away', as Dessie Farrell had put it in the summer of 2021, after winning his eighth Celtic Cross in December 2020.
Gone for 27 months but now, all of a sudden, we have the second coming. From Farrell's perspective, the pieces of the jigsaw are fitting together nicely.
READ MORE: "He's Dublin through and through" Dessie Farrell on Stephen Cluxton return
It has been six months since Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion announced they were coming back into the fold. Mannion finally made his competitive re-appearance yesterday and fired over a late point.
McCaffrey made telling cameos earlier in this campaign. He will return from injury this week ahead of the Allianz League Division 2 final against Derry.
And, as the Dublin and Louth players warmed up at Headquarters, those among the 19,484 attendance rubbed their eyes in disbelief before confirming the big kahuna of prodigal sons himself was taking part adjacent to Hill 16.
No-one outside the Dublin camp had seen it coming but, after watching his side fall at the last hurdle and so draw the curtains on a promising League campaign, Louth boss Mickey Harte was clear on what Cluxton's return means for Dublin.
"I saw a man's name on the substitute's list that I'd rather he had stayed retired," joked Harte.
"Of course he's the master of goalkeeping in the last 10 years at All-Ireland level, so why wouldn't you want a player of that experience and that ability in your team or around your team, even?
"So it can only be good for Dublin that he's there in any shape or form. It's the kind of position where you don't have to be 23 to play in, you can be higher up the scale and be very valuable there."
The biggest cheer of a cold, dark afternoon was reserved for Cluxton's name ringing out over the tannoy before the throw-in, even though Dublin's seven point victory secured a swift return to the top tier for next year.
Playing in Division 2 has allowed Farrell to blood younger players and bring back highly decorated veterans, but the truth is that is not where he or his team need to be, not with the business of championship ahead.
They still have so many glitches to iron out and Louth tried to exploit the Dubs' weaknesses in their remarkable bid to travel from Division 4 to Division 1 in consecutive campaigns. The Blues' superior quality and experience told in the end.
"The first half was tough," said Farrell. "There was that big breeze and it was difficult to kick into that goal. Just generally I thought our execution in front of goal left a lot to be desired.
"There’s a lot of work to do. A big challenge for us of course is operating in Division Two, and without doubt there’s a gulf in standard between it and Division 1.
"We have to work very hard to bridge that gap over the coming weeks."
Harte could point to valuable lessons learned by his players in defeat.
"You congratulate them on the effort they've made and also suggest that this is where you learn things, this is the school of learning and the hard road to learn when you're meeting a team of the calibre of Dublin at Croke Park," he said.
"It was never going to be an easy task."
Certainly, when he does play Cluxton's laser-like kick-outs will be a marked improvement on David O'Hanlon's.0
For instance, delivering a high, looping kick-out into the wind as half-time approached was not what was required in the conditions. No wonder his opposite number Tom Califf felt confident enough to wander into the crowded midfield area and win possession.
Louth trailed 0-4 to 0-5 at the break by playing a low-risk game that saw them achieve aerial midfield dominance but not capitalise on their chances.
Conall McKeever eased past Davy Byrne in the 18th minute and his shot beat O'Hanlon but rebounded to safety off the far post.
Dublin certainly weren't holding back and scored a couple of well constructed first half points through Basquel and Seán Bugler.
Con O'Callaghan should have moved the Blues four clear in the 33rd minute when James McCarthy put him through but he blazed over and Downey reduced the deficit to a point at the break with a free.
Nevertheless the Dubs threatened to run riot early in the second half, with Brian Fenton starting a quick-fire six point scoring sequence that saw the men from the capital race into a 0-10 to 0-4 lead in just six minutes.
Louth needed a lifeline and it came from Liam Jackson's precise low finish from his brother Tom's assist.
The experienced McCarthy struck a superb point at the Canal End in response but O'Callaghan should have done better as he unsuccessfully tried to put a goal on a plate for Cormac Costello.
Costello's free soon after made it 0-12 to 1-4 but Louth were inches away from a second goal just before the hour when Conor Grimes flashed a shot just wide.
But the job was done for Dublin, who missed late goal chances by O'Callaghan and Paddy Small - whose effort was cleared off the line by Peter Lynch.
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