Should Kilkenny manage to topple Limerick in 2024 and land a first All-Ireland title since 2015, it is likely that TJ Reid will be a central figure.
The 36-year-old closed out 2023 with his seventh All-Star, but a second successive final defeat to the Treaty men – their fourth final loss since last climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand – was further evidence that Limerick remain the side to catch.
The perceived wisdom is that Derek Lyng's side are the best equipped to change up the new order, with the decorated Reid once again likely to be the fulcrum of their attack.
The Ballyhale man, with 13 All-Ireland senior titles between club and county, hasn’t played a single minute of the league to date, but will lead the charge for the Cats once again when the championship kicks into gear.
Speaking on the RTÉ GAA podcast, former Antrim player Neil McManus says that curbing Reid’s instinct to track back and force a turnover could work out better for Kilkenny at the business end of the season.
"Kilkenny have to use him differently," he said. "Last year, in the All-Ireland final, there were two or three occasions when he hunted back and turned over people, on his own 20-yard line.
"I know he loves working hard and that’s a big part of his game, but I think he should be told 'you’re not allowed in the defensive half of the field. We’re going to allow the other lads to do that for you.'
"Because he has that ball-winning ability that so many teams are after at the minute.
"That’s why Galway have brought Johnny Glynn back. TJ can still go up with three or four men around him, bring it out of the sky and all of sudden there’s a backward hand-pass that nobody else saw on.
"They need to use him a little bit differently but he’s still an unbelievable player and very important to them. I think Derek Lyng is well aware of that and I also don’t think TJ would be hanging around if he didn’t think there was another All-Ireland in them."
On Sunday, the joint-leaders of 1A come face to face in Ennis, with Kilkenny and Clare both unbeaten from three outings.
Given the Banner have fallen to Kilkenny at the penultimate stage of the championship in the last two seasons, a win might have more significance for the hosts.
Asked for his views on who is likely to be Limerick's biggest challenger for Liam MacCarthy this year, McManus is swaying towards the black and amber.
"I think Kilkenny have a better panel," he said. "Clare have some struggles at the back, are blessed in the forwards and when they play David Fitzgerald in midfield he’s almost unstoppable.
"The success that Clare have had against Limerick, the games where they ran them to a point and extra time, have been in a smaller venue. We have only really seen Kilkenny taking on Croke Park, which is an unforgiving place to be taking on Limerick.
"But on the whole, I think Kilkenny are stronger and that’s why they have got by them in the last two years."
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