Shamrock Rovers will aim to maintain their decade of dominance as they look to make history by securing their fourth league title in a row.
Stephen Bradley's side roared into this century’s Twenties with league success in 2020 and they have maintained that perfect vision throughout 2021 and 2022 to make it three in a row, matching the great Dundalk side of the recent Stephen Kenny era, who completed the feat from 2014 to 2016.
Likewise, Cork United achieved similar success from 1940-41 to 1942-43, while Waterford did in from 1967-68 to 1969-70 – remarkably all three teams won five titles over a six-year period throughout their respective reigns.
But only one team have ever achieved that coveted four in a row, and it was the green and white hoops of another era, the mullet and moustachioed hey days of the mid-1980s.
A great team, and perhaps the best ever, led by Pat Byrne and full of league legends who went on to win many more titles…at other clubs, of course, as a result of the dark days that followed the league-winning season of 1987 for the great Dublin club.
An era that existed before the overwhelming majority of the current Shamrock Rovers squad were born, and yet Bradley’s charges are reminded about the feat on a near daily basis from the decorated corridors of Tallaght Stadium, the fervent fans, and of course, the many former players who still come down to watch the latest batch attempt to join that unique club of one.
So while that pressure will come from within, the external competition looks set to arrive in the guise of the Candystriped collective from the Brandywell.
Ruaidhri Higgins’ men came closest to stopping Rovers from making it three in a row last season, by finishing in second place in the title race, and while they were 13 points shy of the Hoops at the final tally, the difference could easily have been a lot closer only for a mid-season dip and a distraction, in the form of an FAI Cup final, at the run-in.
Since Rovers lifted that league title, Derry have hoisted two trophies of their own; firstly by claiming that FAI Cup in fine style with a comprehensive defeat of Shelbourne, before adding the President’s Cup in last weekend’s season opener.
The result of that first "competitive" fixture will not have had any affect on Stephen Bradley’s mindset going into the title defence, however, it will add another brick to the fine foundations that Higgins has been building up in the Walled City, maintaining momentum from last season’s end while continuing to create a winning mentality at the club.
One team that will be looking to make it a three-horse race rather than a straight shoot-out will be Stephen O’Donnell’s Dundalk who just missed out on second place on goal difference.
A team in transition, no doubt, and judging by the change of playing personnel, a similar one on the way, however, O’Donnell will be hoping to move the project along a bit quicker than anticipated, which can be achieved if his new recruits from overseas can hit the ground running in this campaign.
But there appears to be a sense of doom and gloom lingering around the Oriel Park club at the moment, with lots of talk about potential new investors and perhaps not enough action on establishing a modern stadium to cement the club’s future.
O’Donnell, to his credit, is pragmatic and progressive, emphasising the achievement of getting back into Europe, while focusing on building a young squad that can challenge in future seasons, if not the current one.
St Patrick’s Athletic are widely considered to be the only other club who can pose a realistic chance of challenging for top honours this season, and while they did not show enough consistent form throughout last season, it was a good return for a changing club, left in the lurch a touch, following the departure of the aforementioned O’Donnell who had led the Inchicore club to Cup success in 2021.
Manager Tim Clancy will be looking to build on that opening season and the Saints supporters should be optimistic heading into this campaign with the core of the squad very much intact, while quality has been added in the close season, most notably with the arrival of Jake Mulraney.
Tommy Lonergan has also returned to the club following an excellent spell at UCD last season, and it will be interesting to see if the youngster can take that form into the current season, linking up with Eoin Doyle and Conor Carty in attack.
In a ten-team league, there is not much room for middle ground; you are either attempting to keep in touch with the leading group to remain in contention for European allocations, or else you are looking to stay out of the relegation dog fight, with the bottom two staring the First Division in the face.
A remarkable achievement in that department from UCD and manager Andy Myler who defied the odds to first of all, avoid automatic relegation, before coming out on top in the battle with Waterford to stay in the top tier of the League of Ireland.
Fairly or unfairly, UCD will again be seen as the team most likely to stay above to avoid automatic relegation, and teams like Drogheda, Shelbourne, Cork City, and even Sligo Rovers and Bohemians may be quite relieved to see a trip to College remaining on the fixture list.
And while all five teams will have much loftier ambitions this season, they all have elements of the unknown going into the campaign and it will be interesting to see which ones can attempt to bridge that gap to the top four.
A bit disrespectful, you might say, for teams like Sligo and Bohs, who both finished with a twenty-point gap between themselves and the Students last season – Sligo were 23 points clear.
However, the Bit O’Red have lost their prize possession in Aidan Keena, who was the league’s top goalscorer in 2022, while the Gypsies are beginning a new era with the arrival of Declan Devine in charge, who is putting his faith in 30-year-old Keith Buckley, returning from a gap year Down Under, to rekindle the Dalymount Roar that has faded considerably in recent campaigns.
Drogheda and Shelbourne, meanwhile, will meet in tonight’s opener and while it might be the first game of the campaign, there are three valuable points on offer and a chance to set the standard for the season ahead.
Kevin Doherty has to hope that his new-look squad can bed in quickly and improve on last season’s eighth-place finish, while Damien Duff’s Shels were deflated following the Cup final in November and it remains to be seen if the squad has the quality to progress in 2023.
One team that could, and should, step closer to the title chasers is the returning Cork City, who impressed in their charge out of the First Division last season.
A new owner should bring real stability to the club and with Premier Division football back on Leeside, a good start to the campaign should really see that Shed End return to how it once looked just five years ago when they were perennial title challengers, and, of course, 2017 champions.
So will Rovers be crowned champions in 2023?
The 13-point gap in terms of quality at the top of the table appears a tough ask for Derry or any of the other challengers to close over the course of the season, while considering that many felt that Rovers stuttered their way through some sections of the campaign.
Stephen Bradley has added quality to the squad, while Jack Byrne is expected to be back to his best in this campaign, so if anything, the Hoops should be an even better team, despite the ageing few, throughout this season.
Derry perhaps kept their best performance until last as they romped to the FAI Cup victory, however, it is noteworthy how manager Higgins referenced the big grass pitch of the Aviva Stadium to allow them to perform at their peak.
The Ryan McBride Brandywell could and should be a fortress for Derry throughout the season and if they can do that, they could really build a tally to challenge this season.
Alas, the artificial pitch in the ground may prove the Achilles Heel of Higgins' unit, as it was evident last season that Derry could be prevented from playing at their most effective by setting up to spoil.
"If you're asking me would I prefer a big grass pitch, the answer is yes," said Higgins after the Cup final. "If they change it to a grass pitch, then brilliant; if they don't then we deal with it."
