Ten years on from their last back-to-back league title success, Shamrock Rovers repeated the feat by winning the 2021 SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title.
Stephen Bradley's side ended up claiming the title with 16 points to spare from nearest rivals St Patrick’s Athletic, and five more ahead of third-placed Sligo Rovers.
The Hoops will now look to join the very select three-in-a-row club, which consists of Dundalk (2014-16), Waterford (1967/68-1969/70), and the now defunct Cork United (1940/41-1942/43). Remarkably, all three great teams actually secured five titles over a six-year period.
Perhaps the greatest of all, the Shamrock Rovers team of the 1980s remain the only side to secure four leagues in succession, from the 1983-84 season through to the zenith of the spring of 1987 ahead of the team’s break-up amidst the madness of the sale of Milltown.
Teams from other eras could claim to be part of the conversation, including the other Dublin trio of St Pat’s (three titles), Shels (five titles) and Bohs (four titles), who dominated the Premier Division for the best part of 15 years from the 1995-96 season to 2009.
Ahead of the upcoming 36-game season, joining those great sides will be far from Bradley’s mindset as his side look to defend the title, while Rovers fans will be reflecting more on what happened to the side after the team’s last back-to-back success.
Michael O’Neill parted company with Rovers at the end of the 2011 season and the club ended up taking several steps backwards before finally moving forward again with several managers unable to challenge for the title as Dundalk became the top team in the country.
But the Dublin club, as a whole, is in a far healthier state now compared to 2011 as the investment in the academy and focus on youth has paid dividends.
Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that the management team remain in place ahead of the 2022 campaign with the squad largely intact from last season, and arguably better again with the return of Jack Byrne.
Clubs looking to challenge Rovers for the title this season will take heart from the fact that Bradley’s side were far from invincible in 2021, following their unbeaten season in 2020, and the champions relied on several fortuitous results and late winning goals to set them apart from the pack.
Byrne’s return will no doubt make Rovers the team to beat, yet it remains to be seen if his second coming will see him have as much an influence with arguably better players in the attacking midfield positions than when he departed. The manager will have a real juggling act on his hands to keep the large squad happy with players like Dylan Watts showing last season that he could fill the void in Byrne's absence.
By the manager’s admission, his side received a wake-up call in the President’s Cup clash with St Pat’s last Friday night – the Hoops eventually winning a penalty shoot-out – and while Rovers will always have the strength on the bench to influence such games, Bradley will surely want a more settled 11 this season, dominating games from the opening exchanges.
A team that ended last season on a high now appears to be, once again, in transition as St Patrick’s Athletic had to deal with a managerial departure along with key players leaving the Inchicore club.
Tim Clancy is the new man in charge at Richmond Park and while there has been a lot of praise for the former Drogheda manager, this season will prove a true test at a bigger club and with a better squad to manage.
Clancy has brought in several new players, and will look to work them into the existing squad as quickly as possible, and from what was on show on Friday night, it looks as though he is on the right track to holding onto that feel-good factor that was evident at the club throughout 2021.
Eoin Doyle should prove to be one of the best signings of the year and his finishing ability has already been on show as he scored against Shamrock Rovers in the President’s Cup, and should Mark Doyle bring the same return as last season then goals will not be an issue for Pat’s.
Saints have lost players in key areas, however, the squad looks like it is able to deal with the departures, yet they have opted for another loan signing from England to fill the goalkeeping position, and while last year’s keeper, Viteszlav Jaros, excelled between the sticks, the focus will be on Joseph Anang in the early rounds of the league.
Derry City appear to be many fans and pundits’ choice as the team most likely to challenge Rovers for top spot this season, and while Ruaidhrí Higgins is considered a rookie manager, his spell in charge of the team for the majority of last season should prove crucial to getting a fast start in this campaign.
The hometown buzz is back at the Brandywell and with locals like Patrick McEleney and Michael Duffy returning to the club, the potential is certainly there to challenge this year.
The Candystripes have also plenty of young potential coming through and it will be interesting to keep an eye on the progress of Ireland Under-21 international Brandon Kavanagh who excelled in the First Division last season with Bray Wanderers.
Matty Smith should prove a fine addition to the City midfield, while Cameron Dummigan will add more quality and experience and add to that Dundalk element of real experience that will make Derry a tough team to beat this season, particularly at the Ryan McBride Brandywell.
Speaking of Dundalk, the Lilywhites will look to get back to their best this season and will fancy their chances of challenging once again, while perhaps flying a little bit under the radar throughout the pre-season.
Stephen O’Donnell’s return should bring back a bit of belief and stability to the club following a tough couple of years at Oriel Park.
And it will be interesting to see how O’Donnell can manage many of the players that he played alongside throughout those successful Stephen Kenny years, and on paper, Dundalk should be able to put out a starting XI to compare to most in the league.
Strength in depth could be an issue for Dundalk, however, and with many of the league’s elder statesmen in their squad, it remains to be seen if they will be able to put out their first-choice eleven week on week.
Sligo Rovers have been ever-improving since their horror start to the 2020 campaign, however, they struggled to maintain their great start to the 2021 season and faded out of the title race quite early.
Liam Buckley’s side found a bit of form at the business end of the season and securing European football has proved beneficial towards keeping a strong squad for the 2022 campaign.
Johnny Kenny’s departure to Celtic will be a tough hole to fill in the attack, and while the Bit O’Red have brought experience in from abroad, it remains to be seen how they integrate with the team and the league in general. Will Fitzgerald's arrival from Derry should certainly bolster the squad and add some spark in attack.
However, a strong squad remains at the Showgrounds and Buckley’s side should still have the confidence to remain a top-half club and push for European qualification and perhaps enjoy a good cup run.
Bohemians did finish in the top half last season, however, when you look at the players who have left the club since the end of the 2021 campaign, you would have to worry about the Gypsies in 2022.
Ross Tierney, Keith Buckley, Andy Lyons, and Anto Breslin’s departures have weakened the squad, while Georgie Kelly’s goals will leave a big void.
Dawson Devoy remaining at Dalymount, for the time being at least, should offer a bit of hope, while Jordan Flores and Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe will bring vital league experience and should help add goals to the side.
There was only ten points between Bohemians, who finished fifth and relegated Waterford in a very tight league table in 2021 with Dundalk, Drogheda and Finn Harps somewhere in between.
And the bottom half of the table should prove even tighter this season with arguable better quality sides replacing Longford who were way off the pace last season. Waterford can feel a little aggrieved to be relegated on a healthy tally of 42 points.
Shelbourne will attract a lot of attention as First Division winners and with Damien Duff now in charge of the side, and while the Tolka Park side are expected to maintain their status in the top flight this season, it might not be as straightforward as it appears.
Duff, of course, is a legend of Irish football and really enhanced his reputation as a coach from working with the schoolboys at Shamrock Rovers right up to Celtic and the Republic of Ireland.
However, as a player, he only had a very brief flirtation with the League of Ireland, finishing his career with a short playing stint with the Hoops, so it will be interesting to see how he copes with what can certainly be a frustrating league, with plenty of on and off-field drama to contend with.
Shels have a plethora of Premier Division standard players in the squad with the likes of Brendan Clarke, Mark Coyle, Sean Boyd, Luke Byrne and Shane Griffin among the experienced squad, and former Rovers striker Dan Carr should bring vital goals to the Reds’ campaign.
Drogheda, UCD and Finn Harps are among the favourites to be contesting the dreaded relegation battle, yet all three will be confident that they can match the pace of the division in 2022.
Finn Harps have lost several key players, however, Ollie Horgan has brought in a string of interesting signings from abroad ahead of the new campaign and the manager will have to work his magic to get his new-look side performing in the vital opening round of games.
Horgan has lamented the lack of value in Ireland when it came to squad building for the new campaign and has brought in Spaniard Jose Carillo, French midfielder Elie-Gael N'Zeyi Kibonge, Croatian striker Filip Mihaljevic and Turkey-qualified Erol Erdal Alkan.
More familiar faces have joined the perennial Harps’ fight for survival with the classy Bastien Hery signing, as well as former UCD prospect Yoyo Mahdy.
Likewise, Drogheda have lost key players, as well as their manager, and will look to Kevin Doherty to maintain an element of stability at the club following an impressive return in 2021.
Goalscorer Mark Doyle will be a big loss for the County Louth side, not to mention the quality that has departed from their defence and midfield, with James Brown and Killian Philips moving to Blackburn Rovers and Crystal Palace respectively.
Adam Foley is a quality signing for Drogheda, while the addition of Ryan Brennan and Georgie Poynton bring experience into the squad, however, some of the other new additions are untested at this level.
UCD are perhaps the marmite club in the League of Ireland with many supporters showing real disdain for the Students who "offer nothing", while others appreciate the quality that the Belfield club provide to the scene year on year.
If a team with limited resources and a sparse fan base can work their way into the top flight in the country, it probably says more about the health of other perceived bigger clubs outside the top tier, while offering hope to regional clubs looking to gain League of Ireland status.
Atmosphere might often be lacking at UCD games, however, the style and quality of football will always prove easy on the eye, as College have been purveyors of the beautiful game for the past two decades.
Andy Myler has done a fine job with the current batch of the Belfield Blues, and the way that they played against a strong Waterford side in the play-off will offer confidence that they will take points this season.
The club appear resigned to lose key duo Collie Whelan and Liam Kerrigan during the summer months, so it is vital that the Students get off to a decent start and put points on the board in the opening semester.
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