Before a ball was kicked in the 2024 Allianz Football League, pundits were talking up Derry. And while Mickey Harte's arrival as manager did prompt questions as to how the collective would fare, a narrow loss to Kerry in the previous year's race for Sam at the semi-final stage showed that the Ulster men were a genuine threat.
Under Harte, Derry would claim a Division 1 crown. An Easter Sunday epic saw them prevail over Dublin after a penalty shootout. A three-week break would follow before they opened their championship account against Donegal. An early-season blockbuster, we thought, but Jim McGuinness' men found goals easy to come by at Celtic Park. The hosts were a well-beaten docket come the end of the 70-plus minutes.
In truth, Derry never really recovered after that, despite reaching an All-Ireland quarter-final. Their exit at the hands of Kerry after a drab affair typified their year, post that thrilling league finale on Jones Road.
Harte would eventually depart. It took a while for a new man to be installed. A decade on from when he last worked with the county, Paddy Tally was announced as the new manager at the end of November.
Another Tyrone native in the hotseat.
Tally is well-travelled. He was part of Mickey Harte's management team when the Red Hands claimed their breakthrough All-Ireland triumph in 2003. He also helped out James McCartan as Down made it to the Sam Maguire decider in 2010, and would later go on to manage the Mourne County. Coaching positions in Derry alongside Brian McIver, St Mary's College, Galway, and most recently with Kerry, where he played a significant part in the Kingdom's 2022 All-Ireland triumph, also form part of his CV.
Derry captain Conor Glass has certainly welcomed Tally's arrival, with the county keen to bounce back from last year's disappointing championship run.
Speaking to the media at the launch of the 2025 Allianz Football League, Glass said of his new manager: "He has brought a sense of freshness. He has a lot of experience through coaching St Mary's and various county teams and has been involved with Derry before.
"He knows what Derry football is about and knows the players inside out. He has also brought a sense of authority and calmness which Derry have not had over the last three or four years. Time will tell in terms of results but it's a good environment at the minute."
Tally, himself, is also relishing the opportunity that lies ahead for him.
"I feel lucky that I have been given this opportunity to step into the Derry job at this particular time," he said, when also speaking at today's launch.
"The last time I was with Derry, it was a bit more difficult. We didn't have the strength in depth and did not have the players coming through. Now you've had a lot of work down in the county and we've seen the results of that in winning minor All-Irelands and schools and colleges success.
"The good thing is the conveyor belt of talent coming through and we are keen to introduce those younger lads during the league. Of course, we will have to taper that with experience, to ensure we stay in Division 1. All I can say is that we have players that have been well coached and are eager to learn."
And learning will be key, as the squad tries to adapt to these new rules.
As is the case of other set-ups around the country, the absence of pre-season games has teams going in somewhat blind ahead of 2025 campaign, with Tally saying that it will take a few weeks for his charges and others to fully get to grips with changes to the game.
"This weekend and next weekend will tell us a lot about where we are in terms of the fitness of the players, conditioning, and the adaptation of the new rules," he added.
"There are a lot of variables going into these first couple of matches
"We played two challenge matches and both of those matches were a really good learning experience. It was really up to the players to adapt as quick as they could to the new rules. I have to say we found it quite difficult.
"A lot of the times we were over stepping the marks in terms of the three up and the three back and that became a pattern with both games we played; the opposition were also getting caught.
"The kickouts going beyond the 40-metre arc seems to have changed the game an awful lot; you have the goalkeeper coming up, becoming the 12th man against 11 defenders - and both of these seem to be significant parts of the play.
"I think now there is going to be a real breath of fresh air to to see a full range of skills; the high catching around the middle and the one-to-one battles, both defensively and offensively"
"As for the solo and go, we are only getting clarity as late as this week on what it should look like and how referees are going to rule on it. It has been a serious challenge for everybody involved."
Going forward, Tally does expect to see a better game.
"You will have higher scoring and more one-to-one battles, especially on the kickouts. There will be more space for the boys to play a fast, open brand of football and for the inside forwards to show their skillset.
"In the last number of years we have not seen the best of our inside forwards regularly because of the way teams set up. I think now there is going to be a real breath of fresh air to to see a full range of skills; the high catching around the middle and the one-to-one battles, both defensively and offensively."
As for being involved in the thick of the action, Glass has welcomed the new set of drills on the training pitch, while also looking forward to being "thrown in at the deep end" when competitive action resumes for Derry against neighbours Tyrone in the top flight on Saturday evening.
"We have enjoyed the new challenge, it has brought a sense of freshness to training.
"Over the last three or four years you would have been running the same drills and your methods of play. I can't say that It hasn't been challenging, we are still learning and the best way for players to learn is through matches.
"The McKenna Cup would have been perfect time for the players to get their stamp on the rules, unfortunately we've only had two games. The first couple of league games we will be thrown in at the deep end, trying to figure things out but the team has had a good training block.
"You will have a lot more contests on kickouts and that will bring back that high-fielding aspect of the game. Supporters will welcome that."
The 27-year-old midfielder is also hoping that Derry can have, unlike last year, a productive late spring and summer.
"The ultimate goal is to get back to an All-Ireland semi-final to give us the best chance to reach an All-Ireland final. The sky is the limit for this team.
"We have the depth within the squad. The new rules are the grey area in everything. We'll take things a week at a time and learn from each game because there is going to be a hell of a lot of learning from week to week. We'll focus first on the National League."
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