Limerick hurling manager John Allen does not agree with those who believe only Kilkenny and Tipperary are in the running for this year's Liam McCarthy.
Kilkenny and Tipperary have dominated the senior inter-county scene for the last few years but the likes of Dublin and Waterford have managed to close the gap in recent seasons.
Allen accepts that Kilkenny and Tipperary are the 'leading lights' but he has dismissed the notion that no other county has a chance of lifting the Liam McCarthy in September.
"We all were saying Kilkenny were unbeatable and it was a final they were beaten in (2010) and then the various wise men were predicting that Tipperary would win two-in-a-row last year," Allen told Newstalk.
"Is that gap as wide? I suppose any manager of any team that thinks they have some bit of a chance would say 'no, the gap isn't as wide'.
"I wouldn't rule out a number of other teams. Obviously, Kilkenny and Tipperary are leading lights but I certainly wouldn't say it's a foregone conclusion that one of them will win."