Public perception suggests that the transition has been smooth and seamless: Shannon continue to do what they have done for three years, dominate club rugby. Anyone who cherished a brief respite through a Shannon appetite sated by success would have been dismayed by summer rumblings from Thomond Park.

Niall O'Donovan, the former player who had coached the club to three successive All-Ireland titles, wanted to take a more peripheral role. Shannon simply looked within to find a successor: former captain and full back Pat Murray.

Disruption has been minimal, continuity evident, as illustrated by the opening gambits of this campaign: two games, two victories, the second a 50-point thrashing of Old Crescent. Perhaps most frightening for the pretenders is that Shannon continue to evolve within new professional structures, under Murray's guidance.

An accomplished player who won every honour in the domestic game, Murray, in common with most players in semi-retirement, finds life on the sidelines much more exacerbating. "It's very frustrating knowing that there is absolutely nothing you can do to influence a match directly.

"You have to banish those feelings, become more analytical, establish how the team is going to react and not how you would as an individual sort out the problems in a match. You have to let go, but that's easier said than done. I'm getting better though.

"I think that I would still be able to read the game very well but the legs would be a bit unreliable," says Murray. "I'm registered as a player, but at the moment that's a frightening prospect. I think people would be rushing out to buy grapes and get well cards if I stepped out on a pitch tomorrow."

The majority of Murray's charges were team-mates last year, played under his captaincy the previous two years. But he claims he has experienced no difficulty in making the necessary changes in his relationship with the players.

"The most important aspect of my new role was having the respect of the players. I think once I enjoyed that then there wouldn't be too many problems. On a more practical level, I wouldn't have any qualms about disciplining players if that was necessary.

"Every team needs to pull together, and if I felt that individuals weren't working to a common goal then I would have no hesitation in addressing that. But there has to be a balance, when the match is over, all hats are off. The family atmosphere that we have in Shannon is an integral part of the success.

"Mark McDermott, John Lacey and Rhys Ellison are new to the club this year, but they are immediately made to feel welcome, are encouraged to voice opinions. That is something that I feel strongly about.

"Obviously Niall (O'Donovan) still has a central role, coaching the forwards: there was no way that I was going to leave a guy like that out. We worked together as coach and captain for two seasons and I don't think our friendship has changed with the shift in emphasis. The only tangible difference is that I carry overall responsibility. But I'm not afraid to ask for help."

Murray concedes that there is a need for Shannon to evolve, in keeping with the trends of the modern game, that traditional strengths require modification and that there has to be an emphatic swing towards a more fluent style.

"We have always had the bulk up front, but now we also possess a very good backline which gives us a double-edged sword. You can not be one-dimensional and survive. We recognise the need to embrace a 15man game, but not simply for the sake of it.

"Things won't change overnight. The steps have to be gradual and structured so that everyone develops together. We have the ball players, the talent. But equally important is that the players enjoy the way we play.

"We have scored some good tries this season, played patches of excellent rugby. But there is huge scope for improvement. The emphasis is on being more clinical, cutting out mistakes and not playing in fits and starts."

The new format for this season's league is one that frightens even the most powerful. Murray correctly points out that even though a team might win all its matches, one poor 80 minutes in the play-offs can wreck a season.

He claims that the incentive for a team that confirms a place in the play-offs with a few matches to spare will be to rest their top players; with potential opponents possibly scrambling to avoid relegation or make the knockout stages themselves, the scope for rancor is evident.

"The priority is obviously a top four place, but getting there is only half the battle. The new format also illustrates the value of strength in depth and the importance of keeping a team as fresh as possible.

"It's a great challenge on a personal level, one that creates extra responsibilities in comparison with my playing days, but I'm looking forward to it."

And what of the pressure? "What's that," Murray laughs. "So far, so good. I certainly can't complain. Remind me though that I said this when the play-offs come around, that's when those that make it will really feel the heat.

"For now though, it's about trying to hone and develop they way we play, results will follow."

Just as they have for the last three years. Let the pursuit begin.