Although it was a week or so earlier than it needed to be, the draw for the All-Ireland group stage generated a nice bit of excitement and threw out some intriguing possibilities.
Personally, I still think it would have made more sense to hold it once all the provincial championships were settled, at least to clear up any confusion.
Not that I think any provincial finalist would be minded to take the foot off the gas in the next couple of weekends in order to avail of a possible easier route. That doesn't arise as the groups are much of a muchness in that respect.
In assessing the groups in any detail, you obviously run into the problem of assuming the outcome of the upcoming provincial deciders.
I'll be down in Limerick with the RTÉ panel for Sunday's provincial final double bill. I don't foresee any shocks this weekend. Or in the Leinster decider the following weekend. Ulster is the only provincial final around which there is major uncertainty.
Sligo football has been on an upward trajectory over the last few months, from Division 4 promotion, the U20 Connacht victory and now the seniors reaching a Connacht final. They're on the crest of a wave after a grim few years.
But it's a big step up from here, facing into four games against top opposition. The reality is that it will be a tough few weeks but from Tony McEntee's perspective, it's a question of what they can get out of it from a development standpoint.
I could see Galway pulling away while being able to rotate the squad, giving game-time to the likes of Cillian McDaid and others who've been out of action until now.
Galway's reward for winning the province would involve being thrown into the 'Group of Death', insofar as there is one.
In reality, the fact that three teams survive the group phase negates the notion of a Group of Death.
I must admit I don't get the concept of a preliminary quarter-final. We're playing 24 matches to eliminate four teams!
In the context of a congested calendar, it just strikes me as madness to introduce this safety net where it's not necessary. It feels we're cramming so many games in for the sake of it. I think it's crazy.
Common sense would indicate that where you've four groups of four, two teams progress to the quarter-finals and the bottom two are gone. End of story.
I know the argument is that it prevents against dead rubbers but they've wound up diluting the group stage as a whole.
I'd give kudos to the GAA for changing the structure overall - this format is a step forward on previous seasons - but there are still tweaks needed here or there before 2024.
Again, while acknowledging that there's still a Munster final to be played, the likelihood is that Mayo will start their All-Ireland series campaign down in Killarney on the weekend 20/21 May. A repeat of the beginning of our one and only Super 8s campaign back in 2019 - that game being an experience we would prefer to forget.
An opener against Kerry would be exciting for Mayo fans - and the perfect test for the team after their six- week break. These are the games you prepare for. I'd say the players are itching to get a crack at Kerry, especially after our poor defeat to them in last year's All-Ireland quarter-final. It's definitely the pick of the games in the opening round.
Again, you'd assume it'd be Louth who will fill the second-seed slot. Though we should stress that they won't be any pushover in the Leinster final. Like everyone else, I've been hugely impressed with the job Mickey Harte has done and they showed huge composure to overcome Offaly last weekend.
Cork could be testing opponents for Mayo, in particular, given the high-profile involvement of Kevin Walsh in John Cleary's management team. Kevin knows Mayo inside-out. We have unpleasant memories of his time in charge of Galway, when he turned the rivalry on its head and we had a few years between 2016 and 2018 where we simply could not beat them in either league or championship. Based on their uneven league form, I'd expect Mayo to win that one.
Overall, Kevin McStay will be relatively content with the group, certainly compared to Group 2 and Group 4, which look more awkward.
You'd expect the Dubs will wind up in Group 3, which along with games against Roscommon and Sligo (more than likely) will tee up another match against Kildare.
I was one of those who subscribed to the 'Dubs are back' narrative. But their display in the Leinster semi-final was the worst I've seen in a long time.
They were so sloppy on the ball, I never saw them give up as many turnovers. There was poor shot selection, they had 11 wides and dropped a few balls short.
I wish we got Dublin playing like that in the few All-Ireland finals that we played them in. They never ever played that badly. They were such perfectionists that they made you scared. You never felt they were going to make a mistake.
While Kildare came with a well designed gameplan, I reckon a team with a bit more ambition would have beaten Dublin last Sunday.
The worry for the rest is they may not play as badly as well. They need to jettison the lateral, safety-first football and they could well be back firing for the All-Ireland series.
On Friday, we'll learn the venues for the various neutral games. Naturally, there will be a laser focus on where the fixture-makers plonk the Dubs for their neutral game, in the wake of Glenn Ryan's frustrated comments last Sunday.
I understand his annoyance though, as others have rightly pointed out, Kildare have played in Croke Park plenty over the years. It's not like they're not familiar with the set-up in there, the grounds, the pitch, the changing rooms. They've been in there more than most.
We beat Kildare in a knockout game in Croke Park last year and there was no blaming the venue that time.
Fair play to Glenn on one level, a lot of people are afraid to come out and say what they feel. But the interview was conducted very soon after the game, the adrenaline was still high and the result hadn't gone their way after a huge opportunity was presented. I think that all fed into his comments.
That isn't to say I agree with these games being played in Croke Park. I don't. But not from the Dublin angle. It just results in a poor atmosphere.
Compare the Leinster semi-final games with the match in Clones. The atmosphere in Clones would get you pumped for championship, the supporters are right on top of the pitch. Ulster grounds always generate a terrific atmosphere, the likes of the Athletic Grounds and Páirc Esler are excellent - tight, compact venues.
The Louth-Offaly game, meanwhile, was an absolute cracker yet there was no atmosphere because it just got lost in the size of the stadium. You can hear crickets. I'd be inclined to use it more sparingly until the semi-finals, when you can get a packed house.
The best atmosphere I can recall was in Limerick for the All-Ireland semi-final replay in 2014, it was off the charts and nothing like we'd ever experienced before.
Albeit, that game should have been in Croke Park...
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