Sitting in front of a small crowd in a Croke Park suite for the announcement of GAAGO's championship fixture schedule, Richie Hogan was asked who he thinks will win the All-Ireland hurling title next year.
Hogan, a recently retired seven-time All-Ireland winner with Kilkenny, answered Kilkenny. Though, it would not surprise him "in the slightest" if Limerick made history and won the championship for a record-breaking fifth consecutive time.
"But I just think Kilkenny have the greatest capacity for improvement," Hogan added later.
"Clare were very strong and have Limerick's number. Or seem to have Limerick's number. Maybe they haven't beaten them that often, but they've certainly put it up to them every single time. I think if Kilkenny can learn a little bit from that then they should be able to get over the line.
"A few of the guys who came in last year should improve too. Mikey Carey is back, Billy Drennan should get a bit better and get on that starting team. David Blanchfield who was a huge loss in the All-Ireland final will be back and hopefully bigger and stronger.
4 December 2023; In attendance at the 2024 GAAGO match schedule launch at Croke Park in Dublin are, from left, Séamus Hickey, Richie Hogan, GAAGo Host Gráinne McElwain, GAAGo sideline reporter Aisling O'Reilly, Eoin Cadogan, GAAGo commentator Mike Finnerty, and John 'Bubbles' O'Dwyer. Fans can avail of 38 exclusive matches in Ireland for €69 up until December 31st. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
"The O'Loughlins guys are hurling particularly well. Mikie Butler and Huw Lawlor are outstanding players and will get better. Mikey Butler is still only starting out his career. And I think Eoin Cody and Adrian Mullen have more capacity to improve as well.
[READ MORE: GAA Explain Why Three Cork Munster Hurling Matches Are On GAAGO]
READ MORE: Nearly A Year In, Tipperary Hurling Star's New Business Moving Well
"So that's what I'm basing it on. While people would have looked at Clare, I think people are looking at Clare because they put it up to Limerick. But Kilkenny have beaten Clare now twice in a row. While last year it was closer, the two of them were quite comfortable wins. They never really looked like losing.
"I think if Kilkenny can keep things ticking over until they get to the latter stages, the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then really focus on trying to get the best out of the group that they have. Now, injuries can cause issues and all the rest of it, but I just think they have the greatest capacity to improve."
Hogan feels Limerick being on the verge of making history will "definitely be a factor". In 2010, four seasons into his inter-county career, Hogan was part of the Kilkenny team nudged off the road by Tipperary on the 'drive for five'.
"There's this GAA or Irish [tendency], I don't know what it is, but there's this mindset that you shouldn't talk about these things," he continued.
"You can concentrate on what you're doing while still realising there's the opportunity to create some form of history in hurling.
"We hid that a little bit, I think, in 2010. And I'd say that would be a mistake because the supporters are going to do it anyway. I think it would be foolish of them not to talk about it themselves and address it and then move on and concentrate on the game at hand.
"Because clearly, you can't win five-in-row today, you can only win it if you get to the second or third week in July. So they won't worry about it until then, but they'll definitely address it. They should do."
23 July 2023; Richie Hogan, left, and TJ Reid of Kilkenny after their side's defeat in the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Kilkenny and Limerick at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Hogan added that the Kilkenny side which won its fourth consecutive All-Ireland in 2009 and the current Limerick team are "extraordinarily different".
"I think Limerick have the ability to lose a lot of players and still be just as good," said Hogan.
"They lost Cian Lynch, and Gearoid Hegarty has gone through large periods of not being in good form. They lost Declan Hannon, they lost Sean Finn and it doesn't make much difference to them.
"The difference I think between this Limerick team and the Kilkenny team of that era is we were a team of great players. You even look at our bench that time, we had incredible talent.
"I think the difference between us and Limerick is that Limerick have this fantastic system and they can fit anybody into that. They all understand the different roles. So I don't think they're as dependent on the ability of the players as we possibly were.
"Tipperary came with a very strong team who were able to match our players one-v-one. But I think Limerick's system, everything that goes on behind the scenes in Limerick, is obviously a step ahead of most. So I don't see injuries affecting them. There's huge differences between the two teams."
Quiz: Name The 2023 Club Hurling Champions Of These 17 Counties
