IT IS ONLY the third weekend of the Premier Division season and already things are beginning to fall into place.
Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk are both out in front on nine points apiece with three wins from three.
The champions, you would imagine, will come from that select group of two.
One – or perhaps both – of those perfect records will come to an end at Tallaght Stadium later as they face off live on RTÉ but, away from the cameras, there is plenty of intrigue and even more at stake.
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Pride
Shelbourne and St Patrick’s Athletic at a sold-out – albeit reduced capacity – Tolka Park is a fixture to whet the appetite.
Shels are back in the top flight following a seven-year absence and the first two home games they’ve had on their own patch have helped to continue the momentum from last season.
They were narrowly beaten by champions Dundalk in front of 3,010 fans and Drumcondra will be rocking later on as Ian Morris’ side aim to take the spoils in this Dublin derby.
They will have to improve from set-pieces, though, conceding twice from dead balls against the champions last time out.
Captain Gary Deegan says his younger teammates must learn fast, tonight will be an indication if they do indeed take pride in the work during the week on the training pitch to put things right.
Survival
The first month of the season has not yet passed and already Cork City look like a side doomed to the First Division.
Financial strife, a lack of quality and three defeats from three are a potent blend for despair. The Cork faithful, so used to looking down at others around the country, are now looking up at the nine teams above them from bottom spot.
Manager Neale Fenn says he took the job with his eyes wide open because it was too good to turn down. Not anymore, not with the restrictions in place to bring Premier Division quality through the door.
Ollie Horgan’s well-drilled Harps side are more than capable of going one better than their two draws on Leeside last term and they won’t hold back. And with playmaker Barry McNamee, formerly of Cork, now in Harps’ ranks, after he decided to go part-time, they will have added guile.
You have to wonder whether this Cork team are up to the fight.
Revenge
The RTÉ cameras have been setting up for most of the day at Tallaght Stadium and the onus will be on the two best teams in the country to deliver under the spotlight – not to mention a potentially bumper crowd of close to 8,000.
Particular focus will be on the duel between Dundalk midfielder Chris Shields and Shamrock Rovers playmaker Jack Byrne.
The Republic of Ireland international has been praised to the hilt by teammate Ronan Finn for the way he has followed on last season’s form during the early stages of this campaign.
Byrne had considerable influence on the outcome of the FAI Cup final between these two sides in November, but that performance came with a caveat.
Shields, the best defensive midfielder in the division, was missing through suspension after an administrative mix-up.
With Graham Burke absent for Rovers because of injury, there will be even more pressure on Byrne to make a difference.
Shields, however, does more than just prevent a threat. He helps to make Dundalk tick and if he wins this battle of wits than it will be no surprise to see the champions strike an early blow.
Rovers took just one point from 12 in these contests last season so a win here will be a marker, even this early in the campaign.
Expectation
Keith Long’s signing of winger Kris Twardek from Sligo Rovers did not exactly jump out during the winter.
We should be used to the Bohemians manager seeing something in a player that isn’t obvious to the rest.
The young Canadian international acquitted himself reasonably well for the Bit O’Red but his displays for Bohs so far have caught the imagination of supporters.
His goal, and subsequent celebration against his former club on Monday night, only endeared him further to the Gypsies’ faithful.
The expectation is that he build on his performances to date and takes the Ryan McBride Brandywell by storm.
But wingers are notoriously temperamental so if Long can get even a reasonably consistent drip of quality from the former Millwall youth team player he will be on to a winner.
