Stephen Bradley is braced for a wide open title race ahead of Friday night's Airtricity League Premier Division clash with Dundalk at Tallaght Stadium (Live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 7.30pm).
The Hoops started the defence of the league they won last autumn with a 1-1 draw against St Pat's. Their trip to Derry City was then postponed due to international call-ups.
They get back to action tomorrow night against old foes Dundalk, who denied them the double last season when winning the FAI Cup final after extra-time.
The Lilywhites also edged out the reigning champions on penalties in the President's Cup final three weeks ago and, while Bradley is anticipating another intense face-off, he expects other challengers to emerge as the campaign progresses.
"The league is going to be between a number of teams this year," he told RTÉ Sport.
"I don't think it's going to be just us and [Dundalk]. It's quite competitive and there's going to be a few results along the way that will show that.
"Dundalk is always a difficult game. They're a good side with good players. I'm sure tomorrow night will be no different.
"We've been the top two teams for quite some time now so I think that added spice is always there when we play each other. We always produce a good game. I imagine tomorrow night will be no different.
"We started okay against St Pat's. We got a point and we're up and running.
"The aim tomorrow will obviously be to get three and get us ready for what is going to be a really busy schedule in April."
Bradley said his squad were fortunate enough to enjoy a relatively smooth pre-season but added that peak fitness won't arrive for a few more matches yet.
With every other team in the division keen to bloody the nose of the champions, he knows nothing will come easy.
"We've been very lucky. We've got tested quite a few times and we've had no positive tests, which has allowed us to train and prepare for the season as normal.
"You're never at your maximum until you have competitive games under your belt. Unfortunately our game last week was off against Derry which isn't ideal but we have to deal with it it.
"We want to make amends"
— Soccer Republic (@SoccRepublic) March 31, 2021
Dundalk's Greg Sloggett and team manager Shane Keegan look ahead to Friday's clash against Shamrock Rovers which will be live on @RTE2 & @RTEplayer pic.twitter.com/pxyc5r9oie
"I don't think you'll see the full fitness of each team until they've maybe five or six game sunder their belt to get the game time into their legs. There's nothing like the competitive edge of a game.
"When you're champions every team raises their game against you. We've got to be ready for it, and I think we are to be fair.
"I think we've shown that and will continue to show that throughout the season.
"It's going to be difficult because there's some good sides and there will be difficult games, but we're more than ready. We're looking forward to it."
Follow Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk via our live blog on RTE.ie and the RTÉ News app or watch live on RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Player from 7.30pm
