It's not often you enter week three of a League of Ireland season and the reigning champions are only kicking the ball for the first time. Yet that is exactly where Shamrock Rovers find themselves tonight.
While others are already in the rhythm of competitive football, Rovers’ campaign begins under the lights in Tallaght with a Dublin derby against St Patrick's Athletic.
An unusual start. A disrupted start. A postponed opener against Dundalk is now squeezed in for this Monday coming and last week’s postponement against Shelbourne rescheduled for 9 March.
On the surface, it looks inconvenient, but scratch beneath that surface and I suspect Stephen Bradley is quietly content.
Rovers’ delayed return to pre-season can be put down to one thing: success. Extended campaigns bring shorter breaks. European runs compress the off-season. These are problems every manager wants.
Bradley will never use it as an excuse - it is not in his make-up - but I would argue those extra two weeks have been a gift.
Integrating new signings into a well-drilled system takes time. Rovers’ style is not improvised.
Rotations, positional discipline, learning the patterns - these things need repetition. Training-ground repetition. Pre-season friendly repetition. The kind of repetition you rarely get once the fixture list begins to suffocate you.
That additional preparation window has likely allowed Bradley to bed in his new additions with more time than expected, to expose them to the tempo and tactical detail required, and to build fitness without the win at all costs nature of competitive football.
There is a freshness about Rovers tonight that might just matter.
Their performance in the Presidents Cup against Derry City FC told us plenty - not in result, but in intent.
Bradley treated it like an extension of pre-season. Multiple changes at half-time. Minutes spread across the squad. A clear focus on conditioning rather than cohesion. It was about loading legs, not chasing the win.
Meanwhile, St Pat’s opened their league campaign in the Aviva against Bohemians. A big stage. A big atmosphere. Real intensity. That will have helped bring sharpness.
Pat’s then had their clash with Galway called off, while Rovers’ fixture with Shelbourne also fell victim to postponement. So both sides come into tonight’s game slightly disrupted.
If Rovers are going to start fast - something they have not always done in recent seasons - now is the time.
After tonight’s derby they host Dundalk on Monday. Then it’s Bohs away. Derry at home. Shelbourne away on a Monday night.
That is not easing your way into a campaign. That has the potential to be a statement month.
We have seen in previous years how Rovers can afford to give the league a headstart before reeling teams in.
But imagine the psychological blow to the rest if they come through this run with momentum. Beating Dundalk and taking points in the derbies would send a message directly to the likes of Shelbourne and Derry - both harbouring ambitions of their own.
Depth will be crucial. Bradley is fortunate there. The postponed opener being rescheduled so quickly means rotation will be necessary from the outset. But Rovers’ squad is built for multiple fronts. It always is.
There is intrigue on the opposite bench.
From their Aviva showing it appears Stephen Kenny is experimenting with a back three and looking to accommodate two strikers.
Goal scoring was a problem for Pats last season. The solution being, to add another body up top.On paper, it makes sense.
System changes however can take time. Defensive relationships in a back three cannot be rushed. Wing-backs must have energy and discipline. Midfield balance another important balancing act.
Fitness was an issue for Pat’s at stages last season compared to some rivals. I would imagine this pre-season was prioritised accordingly. Yet injuries are already beginning to nibble at their squad. A strong squad on paper is one thing. Availability is another.
Key players nursing knocks can destabilise rhythm before it has even been found.
What fascinates me most about this fixture is not the tactics at play. It’s the opposing mentalities of each side.
Rovers begin their league season in week three. There is a novelty to that. A sense of anticipation. The crowd in Tallaght should be eager.
Pat’s, meanwhile, have already tasted competitive football in front of a huge Aviva crowd. There would have been a huge internal build up to that game. That edge is dulled slightly.
An unconventional start might just be a perfect platform for Shamrock Rovers.
Too often in recent seasons we have spoken about Shamrock Rovers’ slow starts before inevitable surges. The league almost expects it now.
What if this year is different?
What if the extra two weeks of preparation, the deeper bedding-in of new signings, the physical freshness and early fixture intensity combine to produce a fast start rather than a gradual rise?
Sometimes arriving late means arriving ready.
