Prize on offer doesn't appeal

GAELIC GAMES/Championship 2002: Leitrim manager Declan Rowley talks about winning the Connacht football semi-final against Sligo with a hint of reticence. It's not that he doesn't fancy their chances, but more the thought of meeting Galway in the final.

While the All-Ireland champions have been stirred up against Roscommon and Mayo, all has been quiet on the other western front. London provided a decent warm-up for Leitrim, as did New York for Sligo, but the team that comes through Sunday's game in Markievicz Park won't need reminding of their recent records against Galway.

Last summer, Galway beat Leitrim by 19 points. The summer before, Sligo scored a paltry four points to Galway's 22. Both were the kind of nightmares not easy to forget.

"We really want to pull this off, and get into a Connacht final," says Rowley. "But when you think about winning this game you have to think as well that you are then facing into the best team in the country.

"And I think Galway have weathered their role as favourites very well. They were well down against Mayo and were missing Derek Savage as well, but in the end looked to be very dangerous side. And still look like the best team in the country."

Yet, when Rowley took over as Leitrim manager last October he was thinking more about developing a team that could challenge for the Connacht title in the near future, not quite this summer.

Youth was only thing on his mind. Even with his limited managerial experience, the Longford man knew that, at 28 or 29, players start to burn out, and their commitment to the game starts to drop off and other responsibilities in life take over.

"We had seven players getting their first championship start against London. The team is dominated by youth now, with only one married man in the starting 15."

Rowley accepts that the five-point win over London was not the most convincing: "The problem with the London game was that it was always a potential banana skin.I think as well that when they were drawn against us six months ago they fancied their chances, much more so than say if they were drawn against Galway or Mayo.

"So I think they prepared much better as well, believing they could beat us. And sub-consciously we were thinking it was going to be an easy game."

Leitrim will start on Sunday with three changes from the team that beat London. Centre back Ciarán Murray and key forwards Jimmy Guckian and Fintan McBrien return to the starting 15, with Ollie McGuinness, Paul McDermott and Donal Brennan the players to lose out.

"That's us at full strength now," says Rowley, "and the team we hoped all along to start with against Sligo. I'd be happy with the way things have settled down over the last few months.

"We got seven out of a possible eight points in our last games in the League, but we know as well that it's a slow process.

"Leitrim need to get themselves winning games more often, and with that comes the confidence to beat teams like Galway."

Not so long ago, the Connacht football championship was viewed as an open window, where any county with a bit of ambition could probably come through. In just a few short years all that has changed.

"There are four teams in Connacht playing Division One football in the league now, and all of them playing very well.

"So we're ranked number five now, with Sligo ahead of us, but we do feel we can perhaps overtake them some time soon. It's just that it's a slow process."

LEITRIM (SF v Sligo): E Lyons; J McKeown, A Charles, T Kelleher; F Reynolds, C Murray, S Foley; S Canning, G McCloskey; P McLaughlin, S Quinn, J Guckian; M Duignan, O Maguire, F O'Brien.