Wexford one step away from Dublin

It has definitely worked and it has to stay. That's the view of the four counties involved in the Leinster football championship round-robin series, which culminates tomorrow with three counties still in contention for the right to meet Dublin in Croke Park next month.

Wicklow and Longford will either sink or swim. Wexford are the only county to have won their two games and if they beat Wicklow, are certain to progress. Otherwise, should they lose and Longford beat Carlow, all three will go back into a play-off to conclude their differences.

No problem, says both Wicklow and Longford managers Moses Coffey and Michael McCormack. The more games the better and even if that might involve five games in four weeks before they play Dublin, so be it.

With two games down, McCormack sees the round-robin series as nothing but a bonus. "We were very disappointed after out first game, we just didn't play championship football," he says. "But we were able to come back last week and win. We must do the same on Saturday to get into the play-off.

"You look at the likes of Cavan and Monaghan and they're gone on May 14th. And a play-off is definitely better than deciding on scoring average. I'd prefer to beat the teams straight out."

When pressed on any drawback, McCormack can only suggest the obvious. "It's not ideal having three tough games in a very short space of time. Between injuries and suspensions our panel is down to 22 players.

"But overall I'd have to be very happy with it. We have a young team and this has given them plenty of experience. Some of them didn't play well the first day and in the past would have blown their chance but here they get three opportunities to impress and that's important. I'd definitely want to see it stay."

Wicklow must beat old rivals Wexford if their championship is to be extended any further, and manager Coffey knows they have it all to play for. "This is our third week of championship football and that's been great for the team spirit," he says. "We're hoping to get into the play-offs now and even if it takes a couple more games before we meet Dublin, it's better than deciding it on scoring average."

Wexford manager Ger Halligan can afford to outsmile them all. The only county to have won their first two games, victory over Wicklow will secure them sole possession of the right to meet Dublin.

"We certainly can't complain," he says, "but this is what we were crying out for all along. The only downside is the three games in 20 days but of course the other counties are in the same boat. A lot of players are tired and sore now, so a little more time between games would be ideal."

Carlow's championship football will definitely end tomorrow. The losses to both Wicklow and Wexford mean there is no way back, but manager Cyril Hughes still believes it has been a success. "We didn't perform well at all against Wicklow," he says. "If that was the end it would have left a bad taste for the rest of the year. We still lost against Wexford in our second game but at least it was a better show. And now we have the chance to end on a winning note."

For Wexford, the two victories in succession already equals the number of championship matches they won during the 1990s but Halligan knows the limits. "We would look at the Dublin game as our All-Ireland final," he says. "The majority of experts didn't give us much of a chance of getting through this series so yes, we have to be happy."