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By the time the final whistle blows in Tallaght tonight, Shamrock Rovers could be champions of Ireland for the fifth time in six seasons.

That is, if they beat Bohemians and Derry City fail to get any points in Drogheda. It's a mathematical equation on paper, but one that has been all but solved in practice for weeks now.

Whether it is confirmed tonight, or next week, or the week after, it is all but a formality.

The real story is how Rovers have responded to last year’s so-called slump - a title-less season where they still went into the final day with a chance of silverware - by putting the foot down and blowing the rest of the Premier Division away.

It’s easy to forget amid the recent dominance that this year’s campaign began with questions.

Key departures in Neil Farrugia, Johnny Kenny and Darragh Burns stripped Rovers of serious pace and athleticism.

Their attacking threat looked blunted on paper. Other teams around them had strengthened and there were a few whispers around the league that the golden cycle under manager Stephen Bradley might be entering its final act.

Instead, Rovers doubled down on what has made them successful: structure, consistency, and an unwavering belief in their way of playing.

Their formation never changes - but their ways of winning did.

Patient build-up play and positional dominance have long been trademarks under Bradley, but this season they have added a new weapon to their arsenal: ruthlessness from set pieces. In a league where margins are tight, that extra dimension has proven devastating.

With just four defeats all season - the best in the division by a distance - and a points total that has seen them gradually stretch away from the chasing pack, it has been as complete a domestic campaign as you could wish for.

And it's not just that they’re winning; they’re not tiring. For a group that had just two or three weeks to recover from last season's European exploits before launching into this campaign, the physical output has been remarkable.

If there is one turning point to isolate, it’s the stretch around the halfway mark of the season. That’s when the Hoops really kicked on.

As other sides faltered - St Pat’s came back from the break and dropped lots of points, Shelbourne were dealing with issues, Bohemians were playing catch up after a shaky start and Derry’s challenge never really got going - Rovers found another gear.

Across May and June they picked up 29 points from 36 on offer. An incredible return during an extremely busy period of the season.

The introduction of youth added hunger, and the spine of the team, anchored by the likes of Matt Healy and Pico Lopes, stayed consistent and kept driving the standards.

From that point on, it felt inevitable. While others dropped points, Rovers picked them up, one steady result at a time. It has been less of a sprint to the finish than a gradual suffocation of the competition.

Tonight’s visitors to Tallaght - Bohemians - provide one of the more interesting wrinkles in this otherwise dominant season.

While the champions-in-waiting have swept aside almost everyone else, Bohs have had their number this year. Three derbies, three wins. That will only add energy to the atmosphere tonight.

Bohemians won’t roll over. They never do in this game. And for a team that has already beaten Rovers at Dalymount, at Tallaght, and at the Aviva, they’ll see this as a chance to delay the coronation and perhaps remind everyone that they are an improving team and contenders in the coming years - even if the league table now suggests otherwise.

There’s a big difference between having a good record in one fixture and winning a title. Shamrock Rovers have been in a different weight class for months.

What makes this season all the more impressive is the European campaign still ticking along in the background. With group stage Conference League football already secured and having dispatched Santa Clara - who finished fifth in the much-higher ranked Portuguese league - with two impressive and mature performances, Rovers aren’t just carrying the flag for Irish football in Europe. They’re planting it.

It’s another sign of their evolution. Once a side reliant on the likes of Jack Byrne or Graham Burke to conjure something magical, they are now more of an all-round machine. Whether it’s set pieces, controlling the tempo of the game, or in-game adaptability, they have more ways to win than ever before.

And crucially, Rovers are showing no signs of fatigue. This team isn’t crawling over the finish line. If anything, they’re accelerating their capabilities.

With five games still to go and the FAI Cup firmly in their sights as well, talk of a domestic double is no longer optimistic - it’s realistic. That would be a fitting end to a season where Rovers have set the standard, then raised it, then made everyone else chase shadows trying to reach it.

Whether it's mathematically sealed tonight or in the coming weeks, Shamrock Rovers are champions once again and, perhaps, more impressively, better than ever.

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