John Caulfield claims it is way too early to say if Shamrock Rovers can dethrone Dundalk.
In 2017, his Cork City team made a blistering start to the season and were champions in-waiting from a long way out.
But they wobbled in the final third of the season and made hard work of getting over the line.
“To be fair to Dundalk, they’ve had a number of players missing but it’s going to be interesting,” said the Rebels boss.
“But for the first time in a number of years, Stephen Bradley will feel he has a team that can go the distance.
“But it’s April. When you get into late August/September and you’re in that position at or near the top and the pressure is on you – that can have an effect,” he said, smiling.
Caulfield expects livewire Daire O’Connor to return from his dislocated shoulder in the next fortnight.
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But after a disappointing start to the season, he rejected the idea that Cork are in decline.
“The club will come again but there’s huge investment (elsewhere) and we’ve taken a different position this year.
“We’re trying to bring young fellas through but coming in to compete at the top is difficult and there’s a bit of learning to do.
“Do I think the club is in a good position? I do. We’re out of debt, we’re making money and we’ve lots of underage teams.
“But the challenge at the top is tough and if people think there’s a magic wand, there’s not.”
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