SOME choleric columnists (not me, guv' - I'm only red-faced because I've had to discreetly burn a pile of newspapers from last month) had expressed concern that the 16 teams involved in this year's Sam Maguire Cup would be far from the actual top 16.
In reality, that was always only likely to result from a 'series of shocks' scenario, whereas, as so often, any surprise outcomes have been few and far between.
Indeed, the only real turn-up was New York beating Leitrim, and that only came on penalties, at home, against the team ranked 29th out of 32.
Approving nods, of course, to Monaghan winning in Tyrone and Roscommon overcoming Mayo in Castlebar, but those were all-Division One encounters. Similarly, Clare had finished below Cork in Division Two – in fact the Banner were sent down – but it was far from astounding to see Colm Collins's side gain revenge for an earlier League defeat in Ennis.
Strict adherence to the League rankings would have meant six Ulster sides competing for the Sam Maguire: Tyrone, Monaghan, Derry, Armagh, Donegal, and Cavan.
Fermanagh are in the top 16 as well, but their place would have gone to Tailteann Cup-holders Westmeath, which is right and proper, in order to have a serious reward at the end of the second tier championship.
There would have been five teams from Leinster – Dublin, Louth, Kildare, Meath, and Westmeath (ranked 20th) – three from Connacht (the top three in the League, Mayo, Galway, and Roscommon), and the two usual suspects from Munster, Kerry and Cork.
Instead there may be as few as four northern counties if Armagh overcome Down in Clones this Sunday, with the beneficiaries being Sligo (ranked 23rd) and Clare (17th).
Of those who Ulster counties which have already missed out, Antrim can have no complaints, after finishing sixth in Division Three, 22nd overall, but Cavan and Fermanagh can feel a little hard done by after both earned promotion to Division Two.
The Breffnimen were very disappointing against Armagh, though.
Fermanagh had it toughest of all: they would have had to defeat Ulster champions Derry and then Monaghan, both of whom will compete in Division One next year, to earn a place in the 16 for Sam.
The Ernemen's boss Kieran Donnelly is a realist as well as an optimist, though, and he's content to take his developing team into the potentially more fruitful territory of the Tailteann Cup.
Down finished below both Cavan and Fermanagh, so have no entitlement to a spot in the Sam Maguire shake-up.
Yet if they beat Armagh after defeating Donegal then who could seriously suggest that the Mournemen don't deserve their place in the top 16?
You could also make the case that Clare finished 15th on the league ladder (although they're ranked 17th due to their relegation), so the gap between them and Cork was slight – and a showdown on the pitch was the right way to decide progress. Clare also had to defeat Limerick, who finished just one place below them in the league, so they've surely earned their right.
The only major anomaly so far is the presence of Sligo, whose passage to the Connacht Final was eased by being on the other side of the draw from Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon. Those last two were already assured of their presence in the Sam Maguire Cup mix, but they will be third seeds.
Tony McEntee's men will be second seeds at worst, after seeing off London, who finished bottom of the entire Allianz Football League, then New York, who don't even compete in the secondary national competition.
How much that seeding matters in the greater scheme of things will come out in the wash, as we tumble through the new-look football format over the next couple of months.
Sligo's fortune does strengthen the case for seeded draws in provincial championships, something that does happen to an extent already in Leinster and has done sporadically in Munster.
The importance of the League will become increasingly clear, although it's been apparent to many for years.
It's worth remembering for next year that League Finals do matter, at least those in Divisions Two and Three, as the winners are ranked above the losers, no matter in which order they ended the league.
For now, we have the prospect of the vast majority of the top teams taking each other on in the new round robin series, for what that's worth.
Despite all the alterations, the real business end of the season won't begin until we reach the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals. Plus ca change…
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A Manchester United double or Manchester City completing THE treble?
This hasn't been an easy season for Liverpool FC supporters, but that choice is still a hard one to make, and to take.
The Red Devils of Old Trafford remain the biggest rivals of the Reds from Anfield, but the mutual enmity with the Blues of Manchester has increased massively over the past decade.
Obviously the trophy Kopites least want City to win is the Champions League, and they still have work to do to collect it. It's the same in the Premier League and FA Cup, with tonight's home game against leaders Arsenal a massive match, as is the all-Manchester Cup Final.
On the upside, Manchester United supporters loudly declared just last year that League and FA Cups didn't matter much, especially not if helped by winning penalty shoot-outs, and if finishing second is 'nowhere', then third or fourth is clearly beyond embarrassing. As for not even reaching the Europa League semi-finals?
City, as Pep Guardiola has honestly acknowledged, desperately need to win a Champions League, for all their brilliance, especially under his management.
He'd probably settle for that out of all three trophies, although he knows his players are capable of matching Manchester United's phenomenal achievement of winning the Treble in 1999.
Completing that feat would re-ignite the debate about which is the superior football city, Manchester or Liverpool? Both have 28 league titles each, but Liverpool (FC) have six European Cups/Champions Leagues while Manchester (United) has just three.
The only trebles that have come to Liverpool have been the League/European Cup/ League Cup in 1984 and the League Cup/ FA Cup/ Uefa Cup in 2001.
To be fair to the Reds of Liverpool, there's not a lot they can do about the inadequacies of Everton – but watching Manchester battle for major silverware is tough.
