THE weekend's club fixtures throw up a familiar presence in the Connacht football final. It is now five years since Clann na nGael last contested a provincial decider and seven since they last won the title that for most of the 1980s was their perennial possession.

During a run of nine successive Roscommon county championship titles, the Johnstown club went six seasons unbeaten in the west and in the process built one of football's most distressing records - four lost, All Ireland finals, 1987-90.

Although the national and provincial spotlight faded, the club has continued to dominate Roscommon and has won the last two county titles. On Sunday, they will be underdogs against Mayo counterparts, Knockmore. Being back in contention, however, is an achievement and one that signals the emergence of a rebuilt team.

Although they frequently struggled in Roscommon this year to retain their title, Clann found the necessary answers when they had to. Once out into the provincial championship, they finished strongly to eliminate first time Galway champions, An Ceathru Rua.

Tony McManus, the celebrated former Roscommon player and All Star, was an ever present on the Clann side that dominated Connacht. Retired from playing for two years, he managed last year's team which won the county title and is a selector this year.

"We're very pleased because we struggled early on and only just got through the first round (against Tulsk) after a replay. We didn't find it easy in Roscommon. But we seem to do better against better teams and played well in the second half against Carraroe (An Ceathru Rua). We held up the ball and moved it well. We were terrible, though, in the first half."

About half the 1980s team has moved on but there are survivors, including Junior McManus (a bit more senior these days), Paul McManus and Emmet Durney. The club's best known current intercounty player is Enon Gavin, this season's Roscommon captain. An All Star five years ago at 19, Gavin is still one of those who have yet to win a Connacht club medal.

"There's still a few of the older players left," says Tony McManus, "but there's a good balance with a few of last year's minors coming in."

Even though the team is generally new to the scene, the great recent tradition of the club still has an impact, one which McManus believes has been of benefit in the campaign to date.

"It was one thing which stood to us in the county semi final (against Padraig Pearse's). We went behind in the last two minutes but the players had the self belief, the sense that they're never beaten. The tradition that's there in Clann na nGael definitely has an effect on the younger fellas".

Although Clann stand only one win from their first Connacht title since 1989, McManus doesn't feel that the performances have been gradually building.

"I don't think we've been improving. It's something that just clicked. At first I think the younger players were waiting for the older fellas to do it, and now the young lads are taking on the responsibility. They've got more sure of themselves. It took a while but now they're able to shout at the others.

"If there's one area of improvement, I would have to say the forwards. We're now finding it easier to get scores. All year, the backs and centrefield have won a lot of ball but the forward play has been lacking. We won matches with low scores. The last day, we made a few switches but it wasn't even that, more players took responsibility."

Does McManus often think of the heartbreaking sequence from his own playing days? Only one of the All Ireland finals saw Clann outclassed (1989 against Nemo Rangers). Of the others, they were favourites to beat Baltinglass in 1990 but it is the 88 match with Down champions Burren that most sticks out.

"The worst one was against Burren - we should have won that and the following year we went up there and won against them in an All Ireland semi final. At the time I remember Shorty Treanor saying that as it was their second (Burren had already won the 86 All Ireland), they were just looking on it as a bonus."

By the time the last final was lost in 1990, everyone sensed the game was up and other club activity provided a distraction. Now, with the cycle maybe beginning again, McManus is upbeat. "At the time, we were doing a lot of work on the pitch and expanding the clubhouse so there were other things happening when the team was slipping back but we haven't been out of it too long in Roscommon and the long term, is reasonably positive.