As the new SSE Airtricity League Premier Division season approaches, the general consensus is that either Shamrock Rovers will achieve the four-in-a-row or Derry City will use their FAI Cup success as a launchpad to even greater things over the course of a full campaign.
But what about the chasing pack? Third and fourth last season were Dundalk and St Patrick's Athletic respectively, with the former only losing out on the runner-up spot to Derry on goal difference.
Pat's were five points further back, well clear of fifth place and qualifying for Europe thanks to Derry's cup final win.
Those two clubs were inextricably linked in 2022 and not just by relative proximity in the table.
It was Stephen O'Donnell's move from Inchicore to Dundalk just after cup success with St Pat's in 2021 which sparked some managerial changes at other clubs before the start of last season, including Tim Clancy's switch from the Drogheda United hotseat to replace him at Richmond Park.
After a full season in their respective roles, both managers were in quietly confident mood when RTÉ Sport caught up with them at the launch of the 2023 League of Ireland season at Dublin's City Hall.
Consistency is a tenet that St Pat's will be hoping to strictly adhere to and it was a notion that Clancy brought up unprompted as he assessed the main shortcoming from a 2022 of highs and lows domestically and in Europe.
"Inconsistent first half of the season and then a lot better the second half of the season was probably the feeling overall," he said.
That inconsistency was not helped by the turnover of players in Inchicore but with fewer changes this time - including the retention of standout defender Joe Redmond - Clancy is confident they can hit the ground running in a way that eluded them last year.
"We retained a good 15 players from last year's squad which will give us good continuity this year and we've added good additions to the squad from last year so we're optimistic going into the season now and we've got a really tough game against Derry on the opening day of the season and a packed house at Richmond (Park) and we're looking forward to it and hopefully we can get the consistency in the second half of the season throughout the whole year this year."
Among the signings that supporters can get excited about is the return to St Pat's of 19-year-old striker Tom Lonergan, whose 11 goals in all competitions after recovering from injury proved vital in keeping UCD in the Premier Division, not least with the winner against Waterford in the promotion/relegation play-off final.
Winger Jake Mulraney is another and has been earmarked as potentially the most exciting LOI signing of the winter by former Pat's midfielder Conan Byrne on this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
Clancy is relishing working with the two players and given that St Pat's switched formations last season, Lonergan's arrival allows them to flit between a lone striker and front two depending on the circumstances.
"Tommy is physically very good for a young boy and is still under-19. He's a brilliant goalscorer," he said.
"I think he can improve in certain aspects of his game which I think he will do in the next months under myself and Jon (Daly) and the coaching staff. Tommy knows the club, he was there for three years previously and he had one year at UCD so it's great to get him back and he knows some of the players in there so it's a quick transition back into the squad and he gives us another viable option up front along with Eoin Doyle and Conor Carty.
"We've multiple ways we can play and with Jake Mulraney coming in as an out-and-out winger as well, it gives us the option of playing with wide men and we also now have with Eoin, Tommy and Conor Carty, the option of playing two up front as well and obviously we played with a back three and back four, so it just gives us more options.
"The balance of the squad is probably better this season and the main thing is we get performances and results on the Friday nights, so the system and the personnel are irrelevant once the scoreline is the right one."
Similarly to goings on in the Dublin south-central constituency, there is also a relative level of stability at Dundalk on the squad formation front compared to a 2022 that O'Donnell feels was an "exceptional" effort from his players.
"I thought the players were brilliant last year. We were joint-second or third, whatever you want to call it, from where we were at the start," said the Galway native.
"There's been a little bit of a turnover again this year, probably the only difference is we're signing players on longer-term deals this year, hopefully to avoid that big turnover this time next year and try to get a bit of continuity."
Thus far this winter, he has brought in players almost exclusively from the UK market, with Gibraltar international Louie Annesley (Blackburn), Connor Malley (Rochdale), Archie Davies (Aldershot), Hayden Muller (Millwall) and Cameron Elliott (East Kilbride) the new faces at Oriel Park.
'If a player that was a legend at the club, has only just retired and lives five minutes away from the ground, you've got to keep him involved in the club'
O'Donnell explained that current trends in the Irish market was a key factor behind the Lilywhites' decision to cut their cloth accordingly by searching for talent in other locales.
"I just think with the amount of good players leaving the League of Ireland now - domestic ones - we then can't really go after and be competitive with the other outstanding domestic ones that are staying in the country," he said.
"We're not going to win that race to sign those so where else do you go? You've got to use your imagination and be creative and I'm very happy with the quality that we've brought in. Good age profile. Two 22-year-olds, a 20-year-old, a 23-year-old and 24-year-old, so really good ages to go and progress, develop and improve. I'm very happy on that front."
But arguably the biggest signing for Dundalk is off the pitch with former captain Brian Gartland going straight from hanging up his boots at the club to taking on the role of head of football operations.
O'Donnell is keen to dovetail behind the scenes with a character who knows the club like the back of his hand and with whom he enjoyed successes together domestically and in Europe.
"It's a no brainer. If a player that was a legend at the club, has only just retired and lives five minutes away from the ground, you've got to keep him involved in the club," he said.
"You can't have someone that's intelligent and has a good brain for business etc, you can't have him sitting idle at home five minutes away from the ground.
"So delighted to have him on board. It's all about trying to make Dundalk a slicker operation."
While Clancy has talked about flexibility at St Pat's with his squad, O'Donnell is also a keen student of the tactical side.
At a time when his former youth club Arsenal and Manchester City are leading the way with innovations like inverted full-backs and the likes, O'Donnell is remaining mindful of the possibilities of the marginal gains that can be accrued by thinking outside the box.
"Personnel adds a lot to it as well. Hopefully we're not finished our business. If we get a couple more in the door, our system might change to how we'd want to play so you've got to deal with the personnel you have as well," he said.
"But obviously you're always looking for a little bit of innovation and you're trying to take little bits if you think it works or that could potentially work well in our team, we're going to take it.
"That's always evolving.I think all the best coaches are thiefs in a way. They rob bits of different ideas from different people they watch, so I'm no different. It's something that intrigues me.
"It's one of the best parts of it is just the tactical stuff. But as well you can get bogged down in that and ultimately the players have to have ability and they have to have a work ethic.
"If they don't have the work ethic, you can do any sort of tactical stuff, you'll still be turned over in a game. So that's our main thing. Work hard for each other, work hard as an individual and the little nuances and that, we'll try and include. But the basis will be hard work."
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