With the 'changing of the guard' taking place on RTÉ for coverage of the Moldova game, we saw a more youthful lineup breaking down an Irish qualifier while Liam and Eamon were given a rest.
While we are more than familiar with the work of Didi Hamann and Richie Sadlier, experienced pros in terms of punditry at this stage, Damien Duff is someone we still haven't seen a lot of in his first year as a pundit, but we like everything we see from the former Chelsea winger.
And he's not the only one to have caught our eye in recent times. We absolutely love a pundit who cuts the bullshit, avoids clichés, and isn't afraid to interrupt a circle-jerk when nonsense is being spouted.
With that in mind, here are our top 5 up and coming pundits to keep an eye out for.
Chris Sutton - BBC/BT Sport
We have made no secret of the fact that we think Chris Sutton is an absolute hero. The man is allergic to bullshit and is absolutely not afraid of confrontation, so it makes for highly enjoyable viewing whenever he takes exception to something that has been said.
We love his coverage of Scottish football, but really, the standout on screen moment came on MOTD when he wasn't having any of the praise for Claudio Bravo above.
Damien Duff - RTÉ
The Duffer has been fantastic, a breath of fresh air. Someone who uses his personal experiences to offer ideas as to why a certain player or manager has done something. But mainly, again, he doesn't talk out of his hoop.
He's never afraid to give a classic Duffer look if he doesn't agree, and puts his arguments across like that guy in the pub who rarely speaks but everyone listens when he does.
His view of McClean's improvement seen over the weekend was a recent highlight.
Brian McBride - ESPN
One for anybody who is familiar with the auto-play videos of ESPN FC, former Fulham striker and cult-hero Brian McBride was the type of player who would have a chunk kicked out of his head, wrap the wound up, and get back out there. Thankfully, he adopts a similar no-nonsense approach to punditry.
Focusing mainly on the MLS and US National Team, we don't see too much from McBridge on this side of the world but he is another former player with his head screwed on in front of a camera.
His inability to accept yet another potential leg-breaker from Nigel De Jong above was outstanding.
Luis Garcia - Sky Sports
If there an award for sharpest dressed pundit in all of football, then Luis Garcia would be the bookies favourite to take it.
The Liverpool legend does some really good stuff for Sky Sports' Spanish football coverage, and it's worth noting his English is absolutely flawless.
While he doesn't say anything too controversial, he has an excellent tactical knowledge of the game and has impressed alongside Guilleme Balague, who... Wouldn't be the most popular pundit around.
Gary Breen - Eir Sport
We all dream of a punditry team of Gary Breens.
Similar to Duffer, Breen just calls it like he sees it, and while he may be more reluctant to criticise individuals like others on this list, his excellent tactical analysis sees him included here.
A welcome addition to Eir Sport's team for Ireland games, we're liking what we've seen from big Gary so far.
Alejandro Moreno - ESPN
One that may not be too familiar to European football fans, is former MLS star and Venezuelan internationa Alejandro Moreno.
He's another one from ESPN FC who we came across thanks to those auto-play videos, but he is enthusiastic and doesn't tolerate people talking crap around him. He also has a segment called 'Filth Of The Week' where he highlights moments of magic, and we're big fans of that.
John Hartson - Eir Sport/BBC
Similar to Sutton, former Celtic hero John Hartson is absolutely not afraid to rattle a few cages.
He's got a wonderful ability to piss people off without actually pissing them off, if that makes sense at all, but for someone who challenges the views of others and makes strong claims himself, he very rarely upsets anyone.
A great man, and great value when Celtic or Wales have played poorly.
