Austin Stacks were relegated in 2022 followed by Kerins O'Rahilly's in '23, in the dog-eat-dog world of the Kerry county senior football championship.
Both were huge surprises with Stacks going down the year after winning the Kerry county championship while O'Rahillys went down the year after winning the Munster club championship.
But that's how ruthless it can be. Nobody is safe in a set-up with eight divisional teams and just eight clubs.
Stacks and O'Rahillys are no longer among the eight clubs - for this year at least, with Stacks in the intermediate club final - leading to a novel happening in the 2024 senior championhip.
Dylan Casey in action for Austin Stacks against St Brendan's divisional side in the 2021 County Championship. Casey is now playing for St Brendan's. Sportsfile.
The Stacks and O'Rahillys players are now eligible for the St Brendan's Board Divisional side, leading to an assembling of stars as such, for a division that up to now have never won a championship, and haven't contested a final since 1992.
Another interesting dynamic is that Stacks and O'Rahillys are bitter rivals, as two of the most successful clubs in Tralee, but now their players are on the one side, wearing the St Brendan's jersey.
It adds another exciting factor to this year's Kerry county championship, with St Brendan's beginning their campaign with a six point win over South Kerry in the first round.
Whereas in year gone by, smaller clubs such as Ardfert, Churchill and St Patrick's have made up the Brendan's team, last Sunday was a completely different story, with Stacks and O'Rahillys accounting for 13 of their starting 15, and 16 of their 20 players in total.
Brendan's are out again this Sunday, in Round Two against fellow Divisional side St Kieran's.
For now, all eyes are on the north Kerry ensemble which is managed by new Kerry selector James Costello.
Could they challenge for a first Bishop Moynihan Cup? They certainly have the star quality as last Sunday's line-up showed with established players like Dylan Casey, Jack Savage, David Moran, Barry John Keane and Tommy Walsh complimenting the abilities of young talents such as Daniel Kirby, Tomas Kennedy and Paddy Lane, all of whom played in last year's Hogan Cup final for Mercy Mounthawk Tralee.
The trio were also on the Kerry under-2o panel this year as were Michael Tansley and Ben Hanafin.
St Brendan's
1 Michael Tansley (Austin Stacks)
2 Colin Griffin (Austin Stacks)
3 Joey Nagle (Austin Stacks)
4 Jake Foley (Kerins O’Rahillys)
5 Con Barrett (Kerins O’Rahillys)
6 Dylan Casey (Austin Stacks)
7 Padraig White (John Mitchels)
8 David Moran (Kerins O’Rahillys)
9 Tom Hoare (Kerins O’Rahillys)
10 Tomas Kennedy (Kerins O’Rahillys)
11 Jack Savage (Kerins O’Rahillys)
12 Daniel Kirby (Austin Stacks)
13 Odhran Ferris (Ardfert)
14 Tommy Walsh (Kerins O’Rahillys)
15 Barry John Keane (Kerins O’Rahillys).
Subs:
Ben Hanafin (Kerins O’Rahillys) Paddy Lane (Austin Stacks), Cian Holden (John Mitchels), Michael O’Donnell (Austin Stacks) Darragh O’Sullivan (Churchill).
