Joey Cuddihy knocks over Ballyhale's opening score after two minutes.

Away we go!

Lee Chin
Wexford hurler on BBC Sounds

The pitch looks like there is a lot of sand on it, which will slow the ball down. Both teams will have to deal with it.

Father PJ McCamphill has made it all the way from Nairobi to watch Dunloy.

Serious dedication!

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI at Croke Park

This is it, then. The time for build-up and previews is over. The club season reaches a conclusion today, and for the first time in over a decade, we have the chance to see a rare Ulster double at Croke Park - and Jones' Road was awash with the green and gold of the two northern clubs as I arrived at noon.

You have to go back to 2012 for the last time the northern province was represented in both games on the traditional football and hurling double-header.

On that occasion, Loughgiel Shamrocks triumphed in the small-ball code before Crossmaglen Rangers forced a draw in the football before overcoming Garrycastle in a replay.

The chances of Dunloy and Glen emulating that feat admittedly appear slim, however.

In the small-ball decider, the Cuchullains face Ballyhale Shamrocks, whose nonpareil All-Ireland record (eight titles from 10 finals) marks them out as clear favourites to lift the Tommy Moore Cup in a couple of hours.

Image source, Inpho

Then in the football, Watty Graham's Glen go toe-to-toe with a star-studded Kilmacud Crokes.

The obvious parallel between the two finals does not bode well for the Ulster teams: both Ballyhale and Kilmacud are out to exorcise the pain of dramatic defeats in last year's finals. The burning desire to avoid further heartache makes them even more dangerous.

But Dunloy, who have fallen at this hurdle four times over the years, fear no-one after ending Slaughtneil's reign in Ulster and dispatching St Thomas' in the semi-final.

Glen, meanwhile, have gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years. Back-to-back Derry champions, the Maghera men accounted for All-Ireland champions Kilcoo in the Ulster final and certainly have enough firepower to trouble Kilmacud.

In last year's finals, Ballygunner scored a last-gasp goal to break Ballyhale hearts before Kilcoo did the same to Crokes. We'll be lucky if this afternoon serves up a similar white-knuckle ride, but even if it's cagey, you won't be able to take your eyes off it.

Ballyhale have been forced to make a late change to their line-up with Kilkenny star Adrian Mullen ruled out by injury as Niall Shortall is drafted into the Shamrocks attack.

With Aaron Crawford unavailable because of his shoulder injury, Conor Kinsella is named in the half-back line while a change from programme team sees Nicky McKeague replacing veteran Gabriel McTaggart at centre half-forward.

Ballyhale Shamrocks: D Mason; K Corcoran, J Holden, B Butler; E Shefflin, R Reid, D Corcaran; R Corcoran, P Mullen; N Shortall, TJ Reid, E Cody; E Kenneally, C Fennelly, J Cuddihy.

Dunloy: R Elliott; P Duffin, R McGarry, O Quinn; C Kinsella, K Molloy, E Smyth; P Shiels, E McFerran; R Molloy, N McKeague, N Elliott; K Molloy, C Cunning, S Elliott.

There's a fair bit of talk about the pitch here.

The weather has obviously been rough in recent weeks, and there's been a load of club games played on it over the last couple of months, but it does look startlingly sandy.

Speaking on the radio a moment ago, BBC Sport NI's Mark Sidebottom described it as "anaemic" and says an unnamed former GAA president told him it'll favour Ballyhale today.

Interesting. We'll see how that pans out.

Image source, Inpho

But while Ulster gaels appear to be firmly backing Glen (and Dunloy), Kilmacud can call on support from Uganda GAA who say they will be cheering on the Crokes when they tune into today's game from east Africa.

That car bedecked in Glen's colours that BBC Sport NI's Thomas Niblock pointed out on BBC Newsline the other night appears to have made its way to Belfast with the St Brigids club spotting it and sending on their best wishes to the Watty Grahams.

BBC Radio Foyle and BBC Sounds big-match commentators Thomas Niblock and Mark Sidebottom have big hitters alongside them with Wexford hurler Lee Chin and Derry hero Chrissy McKaigue also describing the Croke action.

The BBC broadcast is coming up fast at 13:00 GMT.

Image source, Inpho

Dunloy and Glen's travelling support can join forces today as their matching club colours of green and yellow hopefully envelope much of Croke Park even though we aren't expecting much more than a turnout of 30,000 at GAA headquarters.

The middle aged and elderly among the Dunloy support have been down the road on All-Ireland Club Finals morning on four previous occasions only for the Cuchullains to come up short each time.

The last of those four final reverses came against Cork club Newtownshandrum in 2004 following previous defeats in 1995, after a replay, 1996 and 2003.

Nigel Elliott and his brother Sean and goalkeeper Ryan Elliott are among the Dunloy players whose fathers represented the Antrim club in those previous finals.

"It'd be nice for him [Nigel Snr] too if me and Seaan can bring a couple [of All-Ireland medals] into the house," said Nigel Jnr in the run-up to today's hurling decider.

But it's going to be a huge task against eight-time champions Ballyhale Shamrock (13:30 GMT), who are playing in their fourth straight final, and full of motivation after a heartbreaking last-gasp defeat by Ballygunner 12 months ago.

For Glen, this is new territory as they face twice champions Kilmacud Crokes in the football final at 15:30.

But Malachy O'Rourke's side are unlikely to be intimidated by Kilmacud even if the Dubliners are able to add seemingly fit-again Paul Mannion to a playing squad already boosted by the addition of Galway star Shane Walsh this season.

Glen were worthy winners in the Ulster final six weeks ago against a Kilcoo side that dramatically defeated Kilmacud after extra-time in last year's final and a repeat of that display could prove good enough despite the bookies' backing for the Crokes.

Will the folk in green and yellow be celebrating on the road back north?