Offaly senior football captain Lee Pearson has no notion what the summer holds for his county, but he knows his side are on the right track.
Pearson recently led the side to the Allianz League Division 3 title against Kildare at GAA HQ, and says there is a new energy and freshness about his team.
"A lot of the lads who played last year are still there this season," he says.
"If you look back across the last 12 months, the effort was always there but I suppose there were a couple of things we needed to get right.
"We're a young team but lads are now a year older too and there is a new energy about us, a new freshness.
"I also think that we suit the new rules. We are not a massive team but we have legs and pace and I think we are really suited to the new system."
Offaly travel to Navan to face a Meath side that accounted for Carlow last weekend.
Whilst there is much change in the Meath backroom with the untimely departure of Martin Corey and Joe McMahon as coaches, there is a settled backroom within the Faithful County, with Mickey Harte joining Under-20 All-Ireland winning manager Declan Kelly as Offaly joint-manager.
"Any time you get a manager like Mickey Harte in, it brings confidence," Pearson says.
"If you look at the sideline you know that man has been a champion and won All-Irelands on a number of occasions.
"He is obviously with us because he saw something in us, he wouldn’t trek down to us in Offaly every week if he didn’t see something. He’s won everywhere he has gone and it’s great that he is with us."
The Edenderry defender landed an All-Ireland Under-20 football championship medal four years ago under the watch of Declan Kelly who elevated him to the key leadership role with the seniors last season.
Previously, the impressive final year Economics and French student at Trinity College Dublin served as Offaly U17 captain for 2019.
Incidentally, that was the third year in a row an Edenderry man captained the Offaly minors with Rory Egan leading the side in 2018 and Cian Farrell having the mantle the year before.
But it’s not just the joint managers that Pearson feels are driving the team on.
Head coach Luke Bree has also made an impact and the team delivered some very impressive, clinical and fluid displays in the league.
Former Sligo player Bree spent much of last year and early this year dividing his time between Coolera-Strandhill training and his coaching role in Offaly.
He was brought into the Faithful set-up after coaching stints with Andy Moran in Leitrim and Roscommon before that.
'Luke really goes after small things that will make us tick on the big day'
Bree won a club All-Ireland title with St Vincent’s in 2014 and Pearson says everything he does in training has a purpose.
"The intent Luke brings to training is excellent," he says.
"Everything has a purpose, whether it’s how we set up defensively, our work on attacking phases of play or looking at creating space in behind.
"Every time we go to training it’s a really well planned-out session.
"Luke really goes after small things that will make us tick on the big day."
Having climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand with the senior team just a few weeks ago, Pearson has set a personal target to return there quickly again.
"Days like that final are few and far between," he said, reflecting on the Division 3 win.
"When you get to Croke Park, you really want to win and for any team that wants to go anywhere, you have to win in Croke Park. That’s as big as it gets, playing in HQ and it has left a spring in our step.
"The pitch there plays differently, it is not like any other pitch in the country, it allows for sharper turns and higher top speeds and the surface is top class. I think it allows for much more free flowing football on a great day."
Next up, however, is that visit to Páirc Tailteann on Sunday.
That game will play a huge role in determining what path Offaly takes for the rest of the season.
One thing is for sure, though, the 2025 version of the Faithful County looks well equipped to deal with whatever ground needs treading.
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