Reflecting on the 1998 All-Ireland final days before their respective provincial finals last month, both Mick O'Dwyer and John O'Mahony were adamant the classic was no longer a relevant reference point, that the dynamic of both sides has since shifted considerably.
Galway famously won that match 1-14 to 1-10 but neither side are keen to interpret Sunday's semi-final as an opportunity to re-visit old ground.
Certain personnel changes do, of course, loom in the foreground. Galway have progressed in this year's championship without Ja Fallon, long their hero on grimmer days when success was elusive and peerless during their finest hour.
His three points in that 1998 All-Ireland - two from play and a relic of rare skill from the sideline - iced 35 minutes during which he proved a demon to Kildare. "I saw Ja Fallon's sideline kick," said Derek Savage in the hazy aftermath, "and said to myself, `if we are not going to win the All-Ireland after that, we never will'."
With Fallon anonymous in the first half, Galway struggled. He kicked the first point of the second half which resuscitated the team and gave the assist pass for the 39th minute goal that gave Galway a lead they never lost.
His injury, on the eve of this year's championship, appeared to have robbed Galway of their engine room and creative source. Three other key absentees are Kevin Walsh, Tomas Mannion and John Divilly.
The influence Walsh brought to bear on Galway's 1998 run was underestimated, and Sean O Domhnaill, his younger stablemate, thrived in his company. Many felt that Mannion was, simply, the Galway player of the year.
John Divilly also contributed handsomely in the second half of the All-Ireland final from centre back. He too has been absent from Galway's current campaign.
The current Kildare team also shows four personnel changes to the side which lost in 1998. Niall Buckley is, undoubtedly, the key absentee, now permanently based in Chicago. Buckley was not the influence he might have been in September 1998.
Sos Dowling lined out in the 1998 final after an injury forced Ronan Quinn out. He retired soon afterwards. Declan Kerrigan has also retired, with John Doyle currently playing centre half forward for Kildare.
Pauric Gravin, the corner forward kept under wraps by Tomas Meehan two years ago, has fallen from favour of late, dropped after the Leinster semi-final draw against Offaly.
Kildare are arguably a better balanced outfit than the September 1998 side. Although Buckley's absence is a blow, the midfield has flourished, with Willie McCreery in dominant form, mixing well with Martin Lynch and Ronan Sweeney, both of whom have partnered him.
Pauric Brennan replaced Gravin in the 1998 final and nailed three points from frees and has added an invaluable dimension to the attack along with the adaptable Sweeney, who has switched from full-forward to centre field during recent Kildare outings.
Beyond that, little has changed. Six of the forwards who featured for Galway in 1998 might well be on view again this weekend - Paul Clancy replaced Shea Walsh with five minutes remaining. Tommy Joyce has broken through since the 1998 final and has been impressive.
In Fallon's absence, Michael Donnellan has assumed an even more central role. One of the abiding memories of the 1998 match is his scintillating, solo run 13 minutes in.
The Dunmore man collected a low ball from Divilly on the outskirts of Galway's defensive territory and burned ground for 35 metres before clipping a point. The Galway full-forward line remains intact. Niall Finnegan finished the 1998 All-Ireland with four points, two from play, Pauric Joyce with 1-2. For Kildare the game turned irrevocably with that 39th minute goal. A Fallon pass, a dummy by Joyce and suddenly he's shooting at a near-empty net.
"It was probably the worst moment of the game they could have gotten it," Brian Lacey said later.
The goal initiated a period of stark contrast to the pattern of the first half. Galway had started brightly, racing into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead after 13 minutes but from then on, it was Kildare that looked the more promising.
Hopes spun around their 17th-minute goal, one of typical Kildare intricacy and finished by Dermot Earley, who palmed it into the net. Settled, they rumbled into a 1-5 to 0-4 lead before Pauric Joyce closed the half with a late free.
"We came in at half-time and I knew we'd have to knuckle down," Ja Fallon declared later.
And they executed with dramatic flair. Kildare never buckled - there was just a goal in it as normal time elapsed - but neither could they really inflict serious pressure.
Luck conspired against them. Late injuries meant the break-up of the half-back line, with John Finn deployed at number three.
But Anthony Rainbow, Glen Ryan and Finn will again line out on Sunday. Dermot Earley is beginning to buzz with the easy menace which won him an All Star in 1998 and Martin Lynch is enjoying a commanding summer.
Galway, too, carry close associations with the All-Ireland winning side, both in spirit and personality. Pauric Joyce is even sharper now and is handling the captaincy burden with ease. It has helped that their debut players, midfielder Joe Bergin and defender Jason Killeen have been self-assured all summer.
Divilly's imminent return means that the half-back trio which flourished in 1998 might be reunited, with Killeen dropping to corner-back.
And with Divilly and Kevin Walsh both fit again, there is every chance that 13 of the 15 players that lined out in 1998 will find themselves on the Croke Park turf this Sunday.
Given that Pauric Brennan and Brian Murphy also featured as substitutes in the 1998 final, Kildare could also feature 13 survivors from that final come Sunday. Not quite a rematch, but not far off it either.
