Tipperary boss Michael Ryan has once again aired his belief that the "dog eat dog" Munster SHC is more competitive than Leinster as he prepares for a ding-dong round-robin battle with Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds.
Ryan said there's little danger of the provincial championship being diluted by this year's new format as every county is capable of scalping the other, and victory is often decided by Lady Luck.
I’ve been talking to the fans ahead of @LimerickCLG v @TipperaryGAA join us for coverage on @sundaysport from 2pm #rtegaa @RTEgaa pic.twitter.com/eGGCVYtcxG
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The Premier begin their summer this afternoon with another Treaty duel, two months after their epic Allianz Hurling League semi-final tussle, which Tipp shaded in extra-time.
The battle to claim Munster, Ryan believes, is the toughest in the land.
"I would long since contend that anybody can beat anybody in Munster and it has been like that," he said.
"Look back on our own history in Munster in the last few years and it’s choppy. You don’t do an awful lot wrong and you are on the wrong side of a result.
"Has Leinster been as competitive as Munster? I think not.
"We have five really competitive teams. The standard has levelled off like never before. You couldn’t pick a favourite in my opinion."
Limerick gave Tipp a serious test in that semi-final before Ryan's charges were turned over by Kilkenny in the decider. Ryan feels their star is rising and will continue to do so this year.
"We had a great game with Limerick in the league semi-final. We’ve been watching their progress and it’s not lost on us.
"We always talk up the opposition but the reality is that this Limerick side are backboned by the same players that backboned the UL success this year, and that was an impressive university team.
"Limerick have been very successful at under 21 grade. These guys had to come and here they are. I think there’s a great confidence building in Limerick, not just to play us but for the whole championship.
"The genie is out of the bottle. We know how good they are and it will be a case of the best horse will jump the fence.
"They have to be taken seriously and they’ve made that very obvious to all of us in the hurling world that they’ve arrived."
This year's system means two of Tipp, Limerick, Cork, Clare and Waterford will be gone by the middle of June. It makes a brutal, intense month from here to then with the top two in the group heading for the Munster final and the third-placed team slotting into the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals.
In short, there is little room for error.
"Our fortune is in our own hands," added Ryan.
"Even taking off my management hat, and thinking about the games, it will be a great four or five weeks for every supporter in Munster.
"Whatever number of games you want to get to they are there for you to get too, and I suppose people will cherry-pick.
"Two teams will be finished by June 17. That’s a stark reality for any of us. Three of us will get to go ahead.
"Does it dilute it? I think survival will be the key word that we will all be thinking about.
"We have got to be in that top three to start with. Obviously one of the top two will get to take away the silverware and I think we are all about that. We are all about trying to gather up the silverware.
"This is unprecedented and it won’t be lost on anyone. It is a stark reality.
"The small things will make the big difference. The rest, the diet and the recovery, we can manage that but there are a host of other things we can’t control."
Follow Limerick v Tipperary and Cork v Clare this Sunday via our live blog on RTÉ.ie and the News Now App from 1.30pm, watch live and exclusive TV coverage on RTÉ2 or listen to exclusive radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1.
