As the 2022 SSE Airtricity League looms, the expectation from almost all quarters is that Shamrock Rovers will retain the title and achieve the first top-flight three-in-a-row since Dundalk did so in 2016.
But can the chasing pack close the gap on Stephen Bradley's side this year?
Reigning FAI Cup winners St Patrick's Athletic, a distant second in 2021, and a revitalised Derry City are tipped to lead the way on that front.
Former league and cup winner Graham Gartland joined the RTÉ Soccer Podcast for an in-depth team-by-team preview of the new season and tipped Ruaidhri Higgins' Derry to make serious gains having finished fourth last season.
The Candystripes, with greater investment, have brought Michael Duffy, Patrick McEleney, Shane McEleney and Will Patching back to the club, while Matty Smith joins from St Pat's.
"I think Matty Smith's a really good signing for them. When you look at Duffy and (Patrick) McEleney and (Jamie) McGonigle, they're really good on the ball and technically good players where I think Smith brings them a bit of pace and power to stretch the game for them," said Gartland.
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"I really like their centre-back. (Eoin) Toal, if he can become a little bit more dominant and aggressive in terms of controlling his back four which comes with experience, I think there's a really good player for them.
"They have invested and again, (it's) how quickly can they settle.
"I think going up to Derry will be a tougher task than it has been throughout the years and if they can get their home record where it's a really tough place to go, they will go close.
"Now they're in Europe, they'll have to deal with that. But if they can stay as close to Rovers and Pats as they can after the European run, that's when you'll see are they able to manage their squad well enough through that period to then have a push. I believe they're probably second favourites due to the fact that I think it will be a tougher place to go up to Derry."
St Pat's are now at the start of the Tim Clancy era after Stephen O'Donnell's departure for Dundalk and although the squad is much-changed since the cup final, they seemed to gel quickly with a good first-half performance in the President's Cup penalty shootout loss to Shamrock Rovers.
"I was really surprised how well they did on Friday," said Gartland.
"Especially when it's probably the first time the back line have played in a competitive game together. I think James Abankwah was the only player that was with Pat's last year that came into that back five if you include the goalkeeper."
But the former Drogheda United league winner believes Pat's have a strong core to work off including a prolific goalscorer like Eoin Doyle to lead the line and namesake Mark Doyle who netted 29% of the Drogs' 2021 league tally.
"I think if they can keep 13-14 players as fit as they can throughout the year, I think they will come together and have a little bit of a push," he said, before touching on the challenge that, like Derry, they will also have to hurdle.
"The European games then come into it because they're going to be maybe a bit light through them games in terms of a squad.
"But I was pleasantly surprised (by their performance against Rovers) in terms of how well they did on the night. I felt they should have won the game and I think even Stephen (Bradley) said that afterwards that Pat's should have won the game before it went to penalties.
"I thought they were a little bit wasteful in front of goal and a little bit indecisive in the last third that probably cost them and the keeper made a mistake. He might be a worry because they were so used to having such a good goalkeeper last season too."
Watch Shelbourne v St Pat's this Friday live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player or follow it via our live blogs on rte.ie/sport and on the RTÉ News App.
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